Wrong kidney removed at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City
A 76-year-old man had the wrong kidney removed by a surgeon at a prominent New York City Hospital, officials confirmed Friday.
A surgeon at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City has been relieved of his duties at the hospital after removing the wrong kidney from the man who had been on dialysis because of two diseased kidneys, CBS New York reports.
The second failed kidney was removed afterwards, and the patient is doing well, the hospital said.
The doctor cannot perform his clinical and administrative responsibilities pending a continued investigation. The name of the surgeon or patient has not been released, and it's unclear when the botched procedure took place.
"This event should never have occurred at Mount Sinai," hospital spokeswoman Dorie Klissas said in a statement emailed to CBSNews.com.
Despite the error, the patient, who authorized Mount Sinai to release details of his case to the public, apparently forgives the doctor.
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"The patient states that the surgeon in question helped him overcome bladder cancer in the past, and despite this error, says he has 'enormous faith in the doctor,'" said Klissas. "We apologized to the patient, and we will do all we can to ensure that something like this never happens again."
