A case of wrong-patient surgery at the Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU in Varanasi has raised serious concerns about patient identification practices in hospital settings. The incident involved two elderly patients with the same first name, Radhika Devi (71) and Radhika Singh (82), who were admitted for different procedures. Radhika Singh was scheduled for hip replacement, while Radhika Devi was planned for surgery for a spinal tumor. On March 7, due to misidentification, Radhika Devi was taken to the operating room for the orthopedic procedure.
Anesthesia was administered and surgery was initiated. During the procedure, the team was unable to identify the expected pathology, following which a nursing staff member alerted them to a possible patient mismatch. The procedure was stopped, the incision was closed, and the patient was shifted back to the ward. Radhika Devi later underwent…
