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WebM&M: Case Studies

WebM&M (Morbidity & Mortality Rounds on the Web) features expert analysis of medical errors reported anonymously by our readers. Spotlight Cases include interactive learning modules available for CME. Commentaries are written by patient safety experts and published monthly.

Have you encountered medical errors or patient safety issues? Submit your case below to help the medical community and to prevent similar errors in the future.

This Month's WebM&Ms

Update Date: November 30, 2023
New
Medication Mix-Up Leads to Patient Death
Luciano Sanchez, PharmD and Patrick Romano, MD, MPH | November 30, 2023

An 81-year-old man was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with a gastrointestinal bleed and referred for a diagnostic colonoscopy. The nurse preparing... Read More

Have you encountered medical errors or patient safety issues?
Have you encountered medical errors or patient safety issues? Submit your case below to help the medical community and to prevent similar errors in the future.

All WebM&M: Case Studies (5)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 Results
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    • Which Line: Ordering Provider or Proceduralist?
    C. Craig Blackmore, MD, MPH| March 1, 2019
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    • A woman with multiple myeloma required placement of a central venous catheter for apheresis. The outpatient oncologist intended to order a nontunneled catheter via computerized provider order entry but accidentally ordered a tunneled catheter. The interventional radiologist thought the order was unusual but didn't contact the oncologist. A tunneled catheter was placed without complications. When the patient presented for apheresis, providers recognized the wrong catheter had been placed, and the patient underwent an additional procedure.
    The Case of Mistaken Intubation
    Maria J. Silveira, MD, MA, MPH| June 1, 2016
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    • An older man with multiple medical conditions was found hypoxic, hypotensive, and tachycardic. He was taken to the hospital. Providers there were unable to determine the patient's wishes for life-sustaining care, and, unaware that he had previously completed a DNR/DNI order, they placed him on a mechanical ventilator.
    Allergy to Holter
    Mark V. Williams, MD| July 1, 2004
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    • A man sent for a Holter monitor inadvertently arrives at the allergy clinic and receives a skin test instead.
    Crossing the Line
    Jeremy P. Feldman, MD; Michael K. Gould, MD, MS | March 1, 2004
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    • A central line placed incorrectly causes a patient to suffer permanent neurologic damage.
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    Timothy S. Lesar, PharmD| November 1, 2003
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    • An unclear verbal order leads to administration of the wrong drug.
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