A Russian woman died in the hospital after she was given formaldehyde instead of saline. Doctors tried to save her after realizing the mistake but it was too late.
She was basically embalmed alive.
Embalmed Alive
During a planned laparoscopic surgery, medical staff at the Central Clinical Medical and Sanitary Unit in Ulyanovsk introduced formalin by mistake to a woman's abdominal cavity. After the surgery, she died.
Ekaterina Fedyaeva went to the hospital for ovarian cysts, which occur when fluid-filled sacs form within or on the surface of ovaries. The 28-year-old was advised to undergo the laparoscopic procedure in order for the cysts to be removed.
On March 15, while Fedyaeva was in surgery, instead of giving her a saline drip, doctors gave her formalin. Formalin contains formaldehyde, a substance used to preserve dead bodies. Following the operation, Fedyaeva told her mother that she's dying. She then had to be attached to machines to be kept alive.
Having realized the mistake, doctors tried to remove the formalin from her system. Authorities haven't revealed what happened during the surgery in which the mistake was made. According to Russian-based TV network RT, medical personnel failed to read the label on the chemical before it was given to Fedyaeva.
Fedyaeva was then moved while in critical condition to the A.I. Burnazyan Federal Medical and Biophysical Center in Moscow. During this time, doctors were trying to remove the formalin from her system. She was already having organ failure and was hooked up to machines that were standing in for her lungs and kidneys.
Fedyaeva died on April 5.
Investigation Into Negligence
Rashid Abdullov, the minister of health, family and social well-being in Ulyanovsk, offered his condolences to the family over Twitter. In the tweet, Abdullov also announced that the region will provide any aid the family needs during this time and that those responsible have already been held liable. Abdullov said that the investigation into the matter is underway.
Abdullov added that doctors in the region should exercise more caution to avoid situations like this from occurring again.
Russian government-owned news agency TASS has revealed that after the doctors realized they gave Fedyaeva formalin, they tried to wash her abdominal cavity.
On March 26, a criminal investigation was started in Ulyanovsk region for the infliction of harm while providing medical care in the state. After Fedyaeva's death on April 5, the charges were changed to causing death by negligence. That same day, the head physician of the hospital in Ulyanovsk was dismissed.
Meanwhile, doctors in Kenya also made a medical mistake by performing brain surgery on the wrong patient.
