A hospital in Austria amputated the wrong leg of an 82-year-old patient, having blamed human error for its 'tragic mistake'.
The Freistadt Clinic said in a statement that the elderly patient had his right leg removed instead of his left.
Worse still, the patient must still undergo another operation to remove the left leg from mid-thigh.
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According to Reuters, it is believed that the error was made shortly before the operation, when the wrong leg was marked.
The clinic, located in the town of Freistadt near the Czech border, said: "We are deeply shocked that on Tuesday, May 18, despite quality assurance standards, the wrong leg of an 82-year old man ... was amputated."
It added that the mistake was only noticed during a bandage change later in the week, on Thursday morning.
The clinic continued: "Unfortunately the mistake, in which the right leg was removed instead of the left, occurred as a result of a sequence of unfortunate circumstances."
The clinic said the operation is 'planned shortly', and that the patient has been offered psychological assistance.
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At a news conference, Norbert Fritsch, the clinic's Medical Director, said: "We have to find out how this failure, this mistake could happen. I would like to apologise publicly here."
Austrian news outlet Heute reports that the patient didn't initially realise the clinic's mistake because of his illness, and that he had been asked to confirm beforehand.
However, it reported Fritsch as saying the patient's articulation was limited.
The outlet added that the Freistadt Clinic itself has filed a complaint with the public prosecutor's office.
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LADbible has reached out to the Freistadt for comment.
Over in America, a teenager recently spoke out about how he decided to have the bottom half of his body amputated, following a horrific forklift accident.
Loren Schauers, 19, was driving a forklift across a bridge in September 2019 when it plummeted 50ft to ground, pinning him under the four-ton vehicle.
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He was conscious the whole time, seeing his right arm crushed and the bottom half of his body stuck under the vehicle.
The labourer decided to have a hemicorperectomy - meaning everything below his waist was removed in order to save him.
Loren, from Great Falls, Montana, said: "It wasn't a hard choice to have half of my body amputated - it was basically a choice of living or dying.
"With Sabia assuring to stay by my side no matter what and all my immediate family being around me, it really wasn't a hard choice for me!"
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Featured Image Credit: PA
Topics: World News, News, Hospital