'Tragic mistake': Hospital amputates wrong leg of patient - must now remove correct limb

An Austrian hospital has admitted to amputating the wrong leg of one of its elderly patients during what should have been a routine procedure. Photo / 123rf

An Austrian hospital has admitted to amputating the wrong leg of an elderly patient during what should have been a routine procedure.

The Freistadt Clinic, in a small town in Austria, said it was "deeply shocked" and described the incident as a "tragic mistake".

The 82-year-old required surgery to remove his left leg due to previous illnesses.

But surgeons marked up the wrong leg before heading into theatre.

It was only two days later, during a routine bandage change, when horrified nurses found the hospital had made a serious error during the operation.

Not only has the patient now lost his good leg, but he will be required to have the other limb amputated due to illness, leaving him without any legs.

"We are deeply shocked that on Tuesday, despite quality assurance standards, the wrong leg of an 82-year old man ... was amputated," the hospital said in a statement.

"Unfortunately the mistake, in which the right leg was removed instead of the left, occurred as a result of a sequence of unfortunate circumstances," the clinic said, adding that it was investigating what happened and would review its standards.

The patient has been offered psychological assistance and must still undergo another operation to remove his left leg from mid-thigh.

"The operation is planned shortly," the clinic said.