00:00Four people expecting routine surgeries at this Tennessee hospital are now facing a medical nightmare.
00:06A drug mix-up at Ascension St. Thomas Midtown Hospital in Nashville
00:10reportedly left two patients paralyzed and at least one other on a ventilator
00:16after officials say they were given the wrong medication prior to surgery.
00:21Now those four patients were reportedly given potassium instead of an anesthetic.
00:26The family of one of those patients told our CBS affiliate in Nashville
00:30the mix-up happened inside the hospital's pharmacy.
00:34Now hospital staff apparently realized something was terribly wrong
00:38when multiple patients went into cardiac arrest.
00:41Too much potassium given too quickly can stop a person's heart.
00:46Now in a statement the hospital said they were quote
00:48deeply sorry for the harm caused and had implemented corrective safeguards
00:54to prevent something like this from happening again.
00:57And we know the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations is now looking into this mix-up
01:02but there are still a lot of unanswered questions.
01:05The hospital has also not made it clear what those safety protocols now include.
