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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [HEALTH]

2 clusters · 10 sources · 3 days · First seen 3 days ago · Last updated about 20 hours ago

Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital medication error

Overview

An investigation is underway at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown in Tennessee following a severe pharmacy error involving four patients undergoing routine joint replacement surgeries.

Initial reports indicated that a 72-year-old woman, Glenda Dorton, was left paralyzed from the chest down after allegedly receiving potassium chloride instead of an epidural. Hospital management confirmed that four patients were harmed but initially cited privacy laws regarding the specific details of the other affected individuals.

Subsequent reports clarified that the hospital admitted to mistakenly administering potassium phosphate instead of an anesthetic. The error resulted in catastrophic injuries, including one patient requiring a ventilator. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and state health regulators have launched inquiries to determine how the error occurred within the hospital pharmacy.

Entities

Glenda Dorton · Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown · Tennessee · Nashville · Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[○ 1 SOURCE] A medication error occurred on 14 August 2026, where four joint-replacement patients received potassium phosphate instead of an anaesthetic. www.ibtimes.co.uk
[○ 1 SOURCE] The hospital issued a public apology regarding the incident. www.ibtimes.co.uk
[○ 1 SOURCE] Glenda Dorton, a 72-year-old patient, was left paralysed from the chest down. www.ibtimes.co.uk
[○ 1 SOURCE] A second patient was placed on a ventilator following the medication error. www.ibtimes.co.uk
[○ 1 SOURCE] The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and state health regulators have opened inquiries into the incident. www.ibtimes.co.uk

Timeline

about 20 hours ago

[HEALTH] 3 sources
Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital apologizes for lethal medication error
Four patients in Nashville suffered severe injuries, including paralysis, after Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown mistakenly administered potassium phosphate instead of an anaesthetic during surgery.
3 days ago

[HEALTH] 7 sources
Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital faces investigation after alleged medication error
A Tennessee woman is paralyzed from the chest down following an alleged medication error at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown. At least three other patients were also reportedly harmed.

Sources

gizmodo.com · ibtimes.co.uk · insurancejournal.com · isca.org.sg · pulptastic.com · socialnews.xyz · stationgossip.com · thegardenmagazine.com · timesng.com · utahheadlines.com