A disturbing medication error at a Nashville hospital has left multiple patients seriously injured, with families reporting that two people were paralyzed after receiving the wrong drug during what were supposed to be routine joint-replacement procedures.
The incident happened on August 14 at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown, where four patients undergoing outpatient joint surgeries were reportedly given potassium instead of the standard pain medication intended for their procedures.
Among those affected was 72-year-old Glenda Dorton, who entered the hospital for a knee replacement. According to her family, Dorton was supposed to receive an epidural containing an anesthetic, but potassium chloride was allegedly injected instead.
Her family says the devastating mistake left her paralyzed from the chest down and requiring intensive medical care. CBS News reported that families of the affected patients said two people were left paralyzed, although the hospital has not publicly disclosed the medical conditions of all four patients because of privacy restrictions.
What makes the incident even more alarming is that potassium chloride can be extremely dangerous when administered incorrectly, potentially causing severe cardiac and muscular complications.
Multiple patients at a Nashville hospital are paralyzed after staff accidentally gave them the wrong drugs. pic.twitter.com/sSbYxZI8Zm
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) August 22, 2026
Ascension Saint Thomas acknowledged that four patients were harmed in what hospital officials described as an “event.” Hospital President and CEO Dr. Shubhada Jagasia apologized to the patients and their families, saying the facility immediately reported the matter to state regulators and opened an investigation.
The hospital says it has identified the cause of the incident and introduced additional safety measures, although officials have not publicly explained exactly how the medications became mixed up.
Tennessee authorities are now investigating the incident as questions mount over how such a dangerous error could affect several patients undergoing routine procedures on the same day.
For the families involved, what began as ordinary trips to the hospital has turned into a medical nightmare, with at least one patient facing a long and uncertain road to recovery.
