Kenyatta National Hospital staff have revealed details of the brain surgery foul-up that further tainted the reputation of Kenya's largest referral hospital.
Several employees faced the National Assembly Health committee on Wednesday, following the surgery that took place on February 19.
A nurse identified only as Mary said there were 15 patients in the ward on that day.
She said she went in and called out a patient,
John Nderitu, who responded but "seemed very confused".
Mary took Nderitu with her without asking questions.
"I
went back to the station to prepare
the file and the patient's antibiotics," a seemingly uneasy Mary said, adding she informed the patient that he was headed for surgery.
"He agreed. After that, I requested the patient to cooperate with us," she said, adding the man was taken to the theater at 10pm on that day and
received by trauma theater
nurse Catherine Gakii.
Also read:
MIX UP SIGNALS
But Mary noted that at around 2am the following day, a nurse asked her if she had taken a patient by the name Nderitu to the theater.
"I told him the patient was in the trauma theater. At
6:30 am, Miriam Bera, a nurse, asked me the same question so I felt something was off."
Mary said she did not answer Bera's question and thought
she had taken the wrong patient to the theater.
"I told her 'it seems as if I took the wrong patient to the theater'. I went to theater and told them that I had taken the wrong patient there," she told MPs.
Mary said she spoke to
scrub nurse Gladys Wanjala and nurse Esther Muchiri who was in charge of the floor.
"Muchiri proceeded to the trauma theater and talked to Gakii. At that point, Gakii decided to hold a 'small' meeting with us, doctors and the people in charge of the surgery."
The nurse said the meeting discussed what had happened and the way forward.
"We then went back to the ward and left at midday after a discussion with nursing assistants," she said, noting they had not engaged with management since noticing the mix-up.
They met the managers on March 5.
When she appeared before the committee, Gakii said that on that day, her daytime team leader
Hellen Kirui handed overnight duties before leaving.
"In the report, I
found that one patient was to go to the theater and was to be prepared," she said.
Gakii said the file had a special request on Nderitu.
"He was not received because
the blood was not ready so he was wheeled
back to ward Five A," she said, adding she was asked to facilitate the provision of the blood.
"Meanwhile, I continued preparing other patients
for surgery. At
9 pm, I called the ward and informed
them to prepare Nderitu because the blood was ready."
Gakii said Nderitu was taken to the theater at 10pm. She went into the room and called him by name.
"He did not respond so I asked 'are you Nderitu'. He nodded and murmured..." she recounted.
The theater nurse said ward assistant Mary Wahome then gave her a file to go through to make sure that was the right patient.
'For one to identify the patient we use the patient list ..." she noted.
Read:
Read more:
DISORIENTED,CONFUSED
Doctor Hudson
Ng'ang'a, who operated on the patient, said he was confused and disorientated.
Ng'ang'a
said they confirmed with the ward and the nurses that Nderitu was the right patient for the surgery.
"Mercy Moraa and I proceeded with the surgery but I was surprised that I was not able to locate the clot. We proceeded to look for the clot but could not find any ... then a decision
was made to finish the surgery and close the wound," he said.
"I called on-call doctor Dave Manga.
Manga reviewed
the CT scan and the images and confirmed they were correct."
Ngang'a said this was when they realised that there was a mix up.
"We realised the error
after the surgery on the wrong patient
was completed. Later, a ward Five A nurse said they were concerned that they
took the wrong patient to the theater," he said.
The doctor said nurse Mary looked very worried and expressed this.
"I then informed Dr Michael Magoha and other doctors. The team led by Dr Mwangome reviewed
the correct patient Samuel Kimani and Nderitu."
Ng'anga said a decision was made to move Nderitu from surgery management to
non-operative management based on his condition at the time.
"In view of the above, it is our opinion that the patient was confused and we exercised due diligence. We reviewed and found that he was disoriented and confused," he said.
The MPs are grilling more of the hospital's workers.
Doctors at KNH defended their colleague - a Neurosurgery Registrar - who performed the brain surgery on the wrong patient.
According to them, the nurses who prepared the patient for surgery are the ones at fault for wrongly labelling the two patients.
Kenyatta National Hospital CEO Lily Koros was sent on compulsory leave as a result of the error.
Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki apologised to the public and said a thorough probe will be conducted.
Details: