Two RI nurses and a doctor have been blamed by the state for performing wrong-site surgery when they operated on the incorrect knee of a patient last September.

The mistake was initiated when a nurse prepped the wrong leg for surgery, and was perpetuated when no one re-verified that the site was correct prior to operating.

It was erroneously documented, however, that the site had been re-verified.

The correct knee was marked with a “yes” shortly after the patient arrived, however the nurse prepping the knee failed to look for the mark and subsequently draped and prepared the wrong leg.

Neither of the two attending nurses nor the surgeon took the time to re-verify that everything was correct before the surgery began.

The three were officially reprimanded but still retain their licenses to practice.

Wrong-site surgery is just one of many forms of surgical errors that can happen as a result of medical negligence.  If you have been unfortunate enough to have been a victim of a surgical error, such as wrong-site surgery, you should consider speaking with a medical attorney about your rights.