In what appears to be a nightmare come true, Tennessee doctors performed surgery on the wrong baby. The parents of the baby were horrified to find out that their perfectly healthy son went through an unnecessary operation.
The baby boy named Nate was born on December 16, at the Lebanon University Medical Center. His mother, Jennifer Melton, has stated that her boy was in a perfect health condition. After his birth, Nate was taken away by the nurses for something his parents believed to be a routine control, usually involving some measurements and blood tests. A couple of hours later, the unimaginable had happened.
The Meltons were told that the doctors mistook Nate for another baby and thus performed a surgery on the healthy baby. According to Clint Kelly, the attorney of Melton, the operation is named Frenulectomy. The surgery consists of cutting a lingual frenulum which is a skin flap from the tongue of children who are born with a certain condition that limits the range of motion of the tongue.
Jennifer Melton voiced her frustration and anger at the people who ruined a moment that was supposed to be one of the happiest in her life. The doctor responsible for the operation admitted his mistake and apologized in a progress report. Dr. Gary Rothfeld stated that he had asked for the wrong baby and thus performed the procedure on another infant than the one he intended to.
Kelly has declared that such actions are reckless and that they want to send a warning to parents who should never go through such an ordeal. The hospital has cited federal privacy laws but did not directly comment on the incident. However, the University Medical Center stays committed to providing care of high quality, as spokesman Adam Groshans has declared. He also added that the hospital expects medical staff members to honor the directives of both patients and their families, and that they are investigating all concerns that they are made aware of in order to prevent other unfortunate incidents.
The Frenulectomy might cause Nate to have speech or eating problems in the future. His parents will file a lawsuit against the University Medical Center in Lebanon, both for the fact that doctors performed surgery on the wrong baby and because they were charged for the surgery.
Image Source: Good Housekeeping
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