Two patients may need heart transplants after Karolinska drug mix-up
Two patients may need heart transplants after a medication mix-up during open-heart surgery at Karolinska University Hospital in Solna left doctors unable to restart their hearts.
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Karolinska said the error occurred on 18 August. Both patients required continued treatment with heart-lung machines in intensive care and are now being assessed for transplantation. The hospital later told SVT they had been transferred elsewhere, without giving further details because of patient confidentiality.
The hospital said two similar-looking medicine bottles created the mix-up risk. It notified the manufacturer, supplier and every thoracic surgery department in Sweden, and immediately tightened how medicines are received and unpacked in its thoracic operating unit.
Karolinska opened an internal investigation and will report the incident to the Health and Social Care Inspectorate under Lex Maria. IVO says healthcare providers must report events that caused or could have caused serious avoidable injury. The investigation must now establish how the error happened and whether further safeguards are needed.
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