Nurse's Scissors Slip, Severing One-Year-Old's Finger During IV Removal
A nursing aide's scissors slipped while removing IV tape from a one-year-old's wrist, severing the child's finger during hospital discharge in what doctors successfully reattached through emergency surgery.
A one-year-old child admitted for treatment of cold and fever symptoms has become the center of a medical error controversy after losing a finger due to a nursing aide's mistake during an intravenous line removal. The child's parent shared the incident on Facebook, describing how after 10 nights of hospitalization and a morning medical clearance to go home, a nursing aide came to remove the IV tape that had been wrapped around the child's wrist. The aide used scissors to cut the tape securing the IV needle near the child's index finger, but the scissors slipped and severed the child's finger.
The parent reported that the aide made multiple cutting attempts and did not realize the injury until blood began spurting profusely. It became clear that the scissors had cut off the child's finger, not just the cotton tape. The child was rushed back for emergency treatment and underwent two surgical finger reattachment procedures, which doctors completed successfully. However, the child experienced severe pain, insomnia, and breathing difficulties that required respiratory support, causing considerable suffering from the injury.
The incident has shocked the public and raised serious questions about the hospital's performance of its duties and how compensation will be handled.
