Cancer patient undergoes surgery intended for someone else in Campinas hospital and dies three days later

The patient's granddaughter, dentist Camila Dias Barozzi, stated that Jandira had the same disease 12 years ago and underwent chemotherapy. This time, doctors had advised that the disease could be treated without the need for surgery again. "The oncologist told us that there was no metastasis and that it would be the same as the last time she had the treatment. She would undergo chemotherapy and have a normal life, just like the last time she had it, 12 years ago," he said. Surgery performed by mistake EPTV, a TV Globo affiliate, had access to the medical records. They show that Jandira underwent an endoscopic gastrostomy, a procedure for placing a tube directly in the stomach, on the night of June 8th. The surgery began at 6:45 pm and ended at 7:20 pm. According to nursing records, the exchange was discovered after the procedure had already been completed. During a shift change, professionals identified that the patient who was supposed to undergo surgery was still in the room awaiting care. Then, the team checked Jandira's identification bracelet and noticed the change. Camila said that the family was called to a meeting with members of the hospital management after the incident. "We even thought she had died. When we got there, there was the clinical director and the director of the surgical center. He said that this had never happened in his career and that my grandmother had been taken to the surgical center, and had surgery in place of another patient", he stated. Worsening condition Jandira Marina Dias Braga, a cancer patient, underwent surgery intended for someone else at Hospital Beneficência Portuguesa, in Campinas (SP), and died three days later. Reproduction/EPTV According to Camila, the hospital told the family that the surgery brought "clinical benefit" to the patient because it allowed fluids associated with intestinal obstruction to be drained. In a statement, the institution said that a medical and technical evaluation concluded that the intervention "did not change the patient's prognosis." The family, however, disputes this conclusion. "The next day, she started to return this liquid that looked like feces and vomited. So what he had told me would be beneficial was not," said Camila. The granddaughter also reported that the elderly woman's health worsened after the surgery. "She started to have tachycardia, she started to have signs of sepsis right after the surgical process. It was then that her clinical condition deteriorated a lot," he said. Medical records indicate that, on the morning of June 9, Jandira developed mental confusion, hypotension, a drop in oxygen saturation and changes in her heart rate, and was transferred to the ICU. The medical team began to investigate hypotheses such as sepsis and pulmonary thromboembolism. Family members and doctors decided to adopt palliative care, without invasive measures. Jandira died at 7:30 pm on June 11, according to a medical note recorded at the hospital. Search for accountability The family states that it intends to seek legal measures to determine responsibilities. “Our intention is not to let this happen to other people,” said Camila. "What we want is a change in the process, a more rigorous process and for this not to happen to other people." "I promised myself that I wouldn't leave it alone. There's always that feeling of 'what if?'. What if it had worked? She could be here with us," said the granddaughter. What does the hospital say? In a statement, the Beneficência Portuguesa hospital reported that it identified an "adverse event related to the care provided to a patient", opened an internal investigation, contacted the competent professional councils and adopted administrative measures in relation to the professionals involved. Read below. "Hospital Beneficência Portuguesa de Campinas informs that it identified the occurrence of an adverse event related to the care provided to a patient. As soon as the situation was identified, the institution adopted the necessary care measures, notified family members and provided all necessary support throughout the care. The medical and technical assessment carried out after the incident concluded that the procedure carried out did not change the patient's prognosis. Since the incident was identified, the Hospital has established an internal investigation to rigorously investigate the facts, with the objective of identifying the circumstances of the occurrence and reviewing the safety protocols adopted by the institution. The case has already been forwarded to the competent professional councils and administrative measures have been adopted in relation to the professionals involved, including dismissals. As a result of the investigation, the Hospital deeply regrets the incident and remains at your disposal. The São Paulo Regional Nursing Council (Coren-SP), however, reported that it had not yet been formally notified about the case.