WRONG INJECTION

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 157, 21 July 1937, Page 6

WRONG INJECTION

House Surgeon Committed Error of Judgment COMMISSION'S FINDING The Eoyal Commission investigating the affairs of the Napier Hospital in its report states that at considered that the house surgeon committed an error of judgment when tho wrong injection was given to a patient wiio suffered serious consequences, i'or which he subsequently received fiuaucial compensation. The commission, in the course of its investigations, inquired into the circumstances in which, in July, 1934, u. patient of the hospital, Mr S. J. Montgomery, was, prior to examination by X-ray, given an injection of a chemical preparation known as neo-hydriol and suffered untoward effeets from 3uck injection. it is usually necessary, says the report, for X-ray examination of tho kidneys that preliminary use of a drug should be made for the purpose of making the kidney more opaque and visible in the ' X-ray photograph. A great number of drugs made by various competing manufacturing ehemists are supplied for this purpose under various names. Some of these drugs are suitable for injection into a vein. and others are not suitable for this method of administration, but are given by injection into cavities. It had apparently been the practiee in the Napier Hospital to use perabrodil, which can be injeeted into a vein. In the case - under review, the nurse brought to the house surgeon a tray on which was a bottle of neohydriol, which i's quite unsuitable for injection into a vein. The house surgeon, faced with this situation, doubt ed if what was supplied him was suitable for injection into a vein, bufc after hesitatioii, injeeted the neohydriol into a .vein in the 'patient 's ;arm, with immediate serious consequences. As a result, Mr Montgomery suffered considerably, for which he received fmancial compensation. He now presents no serious after-effects. Such drugs as perabrodil and neohydriol should not have been kept in the ward medicine cupboard, concludes the report. These drugs, and other dangerous drugs, are now kept in the hospital dispensary and better safeguarded in various ways, so that a recurrenee of this unfortunate mistake is now well-nigh impossible. The house surgeon committed an eTror of judgment in making the injection.