A 4-year-old boy who went into the operating room to have his wandering right eye corrected came out recovering from 2 eye surgeries instead, as the surgeon completed the procedure on the left eye first before realizing her mistake.
It's still unclear exactly what went wrong when Jesse Matlock presented for surgery at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, Ore., last month. The boy's mother, Tasha Gaul, told ABC News that surgeon Shawn Goodman, MD, of Lake Oswego, Ore., performed the "corrective" procedure on the left eye, realized her mistake, and then proceeded to operate on the correct eye.
As the family waited, a nurse came out and told them they were operating on both eyes, with no explanation as to why, according to Ms. Gaul's account. "They didn't tell us about the doctor accidentally operating on the wrong eye. They just said they were operating on both," Ms. Gaul told reporters, adding that she felt "they were trying to cover it up at first."
After the procedure, Dr. Goodman told the family that a nurse had covered the surgical site marking on the correct eye while prepping the patient for surgery, according to the mother's account. Dr. Goodman did not immediately return a call to her office.
The hospital is still working on its investigation into the incident, according to spokesman Brian Terrett. He says all the typical pre-surgical safety procedures were followed, but "we're aware of some breakdowns" and "trying to figure out how those breakdowns occurred." For now, all Legacy Health hospitals and surgery centers have implemented a new procedure in which the instrument tray is covered with a red towel that can't be removed until all time outs and checklists have been completed.
Meanwhile, Jesse's family is waiting to see what long-term effects the unnecessary procedure may have on the boy's vision. Ms. Gaul says another doctor who has examined Jesse post-operatively told the family they'd have to wait until the eyes completely heal — about 5 weeks — before they can determine whether there's been any permanent damage. The boy's eyesight seems fine, but Ms. Gaul says there still appear to be problems. "I have not noticed any improvement in the right eye and as far as I can tell the left is now wandering," she told KATU in Portland.
Irene Tsikitas
