NASHVILLE, TN — Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown says a medication error in its pharmacy led to four patients receiving potassium phosphate instead of the spinal anesthetic they were supposed to get before routine joint replacement surgeries.

The hospital said Friday afternoon that the patients experienced adverse reactions and received immediate medical care. NewsChannel 5 Investigates has reported that the mistake led to catastrophic complications, including paralysis for one 72-year-old patient from Centerville and ventilator support for a 74-year-old woman from Nashville.

Hospital Details Error

In its statement, Ascension Saint Thomas said the mix-up happened inside the Midtown location’s pharmacy. The hospital said the intended medication was a common anesthetic used in spinal injections, but the patients instead received potassium phosphate.

The hospital also apologized for the harm and said its clinical teams continue to care for the four patients. It said it is also offering support and spiritual care resources to the families.

New Safety Measures

Ascension Saint Thomas said it has already changed its pharmacy and safety procedures to keep a similar error from happening again. Among the steps listed are separate storage for high-alert medications, a hard-stop process for any spinal medication scan alert, and a second trained pharmacist for final visual and physical checks.

The hospital said it also brought in outside experts to review and validate the correction plans. In the release, the hospital said the safeguards are meant to reduce selection errors and strengthen both physical and clinical review before medication reaches patients.

What Happens Next

The hospital has not said publicly whether any staff members have been disciplined or whether any outside regulators have taken action. It has said only that it is reviewing the correction plans with outside experts and has put the new safeguards in place at the Midtown facility.

For families and patients seeking updates, the main public point of contact is Ascension Saint Thomas. The hospital’s statement said it remains focused on the four patients affected and on preventing another pharmacy mistake of this kind.

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