Surgeons Operate on Wrong Side of Child's Brain

Surgeons Operate on Wrong Side of Child's Brain

ORANGE ?- Surgeons at Children's Hospital of Orange County removed the wrong side of a child's skull during an operation to remove a brain tumor.

A report by the state Department of Health Services found that the surgical team did not mark the child's skull as required. The team also failed to complete a required "time-out" to verify they were cutting in the right place.

Doctors reportedly became aware of the mistake when they opened up the left side of the child's skull and could not find the tumor.

After checking the patient's charts and X-rays, surgeons repeated the procedure on the right side of the child's head and successfully removed the tumor.

The report says the doctors also failed to document the wrong-site surgery in the child's medical records.

The hospital has not released the names of the doctors or the child. But officials say the child is doing well.