A patient with strabismus was mistakenly operated on in her healthy eye at Assuta Medical Center last week.
The medical team did not notice the error until the procedure ended, and the patient was immediately returned to the operating table to undergo the planned surgery on the correct eye.
“This was an unusual incident, the circumstances of which are under investigation. As soon as the case became known, it was reported to the Health Ministry, as required,” Assuta said in a statement following the incident.
“The patient was fully and transparently informed. Assuta places patient safety as its top priority. We wish the patient a full recovery and will continue to accompany her as needed.”
How the incident occured
During preparations for surgery, a changeover occurred among the nursing staff. When the staff failed to do a full handover, the team began the surgery on the left eye instead of the right one.
The hospital stated that, as of now, no damage was caused to the mistakenly operated eye, but emphasized that the incident was being taken seriously.
Assuta’s management reported the case immediately to the Health Ministry and later decided to suspend the involved medical staff for one week: the surgeon, the nurse, and the orderly.
In all operating rooms in Israel, a standard protocol is in place that requires the surgical team to correctly identify the surgical site, mark it, and count all equipment and materials used, including bandages, with full documentation of the entire procedure.