Spinal Drug Mix-Up Causes Paralysis in Hospital Surgical Patients

On Aug. 14, 2026, Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown in Nashville, Tennessee experienced a pharmacy medication error that severely injured four patients undergoing routine joint replacement surgeries. Medical personnel intended to administer mepivacaine, a standard local spinal anesthetic, to block pain signals during surgical procedures. Instead, pharmacy staff accidentally filled syringes with concentrated potassium phosphate and delivered them directly into the patients’ spinal pathways.¹

While potassium supports muscle function and cellular health in standard oral formats, direct injection into delicate spinal fluid inflicts immediate, excruciating, and severe neurological damage. All four individuals suffered severe reactions immediately following their operations, prompting emergency medical interventions across the facility. All of the surgeries were outpatient procedures.²

Devastating Impact on Surgical Patients and Families

Family members of the affected victims revealed that the mix-up paralyzed two patients and forced another into the intensive care unit. Among those impacted, 72-year-old Glenda Dorton suffered paralysis from her chest down following a routine knee replacement. Her family confirmed that while the joint replacement itself succeeded, the toxic spinal injection destroyed her mobility and required her to be transferred to a specialized rehabilitation clinic in Chicago, Illinois for long-term treatment.³

Medical malpractice attorney Clint Kelly said this is one of the worst cases he has ever heard of. He stated:

Just think of like, battery acid, going into the most tender nerves in your body. It’s the worst type of injury you can imagine.⁴

Hospital Leadership and State Regulators Respond

Hospital executives self-reported the safety failure to state regulators on the day it occurred. Ascension Saint Thomas CEO Shubhada Jagasia, MD issued a public apology, stating that leadership feels deep regret for the harm inflicted on these four patients and their loved ones. Hospital leadership confirmed that administration met directly with each impacted family to offer spiritual care resources, immediate support, and access to continuous long-term medical care. However, affected families emphasize that swift corporate apologies cannot reverse the catastrophic physical effects caused by the error.^{5 6}

Following the hospital’s self-report, state and federal authorities launched official investigations. The Tennessee Healthcare Facilities Commission and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation opened active inquiries into the facility to determine how pharmacy personnel mixed up the distinct medications.

Meanwhile, Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital implemented immediate safety overhauls within its pharmacy workflows. The hospital established mandatory dual-pharmacist verifications for all spinal medications, introduced automated hard-stops on scanner alerts, separated high-alert drugs into distinctly labeled storage zones, and hired independent quality experts to validate its new protocols. Internal reviews confirmed that no additional surgical patients received incorrect medications.⁷

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