Nashville hospital admits pharmacy drug mix left patient paralyzed

Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown in Nashville has admitted a pharmacy error in a Nashville hospital drug mix that left at least one patient paralyzed and harmed three others during routine joint replacement surgeries on August 14, 2026. Four patients were given potassium phosphate instead of the intended anesthetic medication.

The hospital confirmed the mistake occurred inside its Midtown pharmacy and self-reported the incident to Tennessee state regulators the same day. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is now reviewing the case after receiving information from the Tennessee Healthcare Facilities Commission, according to reporting from Fox News.

Key Takeaways

• Four joint replacement patients at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown received potassium phosphate instead of an anesthetic on August 14, 2026.
• At least one patient, 72-year-old Glenda Dorton, was left with T-6 paralysis and cannot feel or move from the sternum down.
• The hospital self-reported the error, says no other patients were affected, and has added new pharmacy safeguards.
• The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating after the Tennessee Healthcare Facilities Commission forwarded information about the incident.
• Families facing catastrophic outcomes may face long-term medical costs, lost income, and complex recovery planning.

What happened in the Nashville hospital drug mix?

According to a statement released Friday, August 21, 2026, Ascension Saint Thomas said the medication error took place on Friday, August 14, inside the pharmacy at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown. Four patients scheduled for joint replacement surgery were supposed to receive mepivacaine, a local anesthetic commonly used in spinal procedures.

Instead, the hospital said all four patients mistakenly received potassium phosphate, a high-alert medication used in very different clinical contexts. The four patients experienced adverse health reactions and received immediate medical care, the hospital said.

This was the first public explanation of exactly which drugs were involved. Ascension Saint Thomas had initially acknowledged that four patients had been harmed but had not disclosed the specific medication error until last week, WZTV Fox 17 News reported.

Who was affected and how serious are the injuries?

Glenda Dorton, 72, went to Saint Thomas Midtown on August 14 for what her family described as a routine knee replacement. Her family told Fox 17 News she was supposed to receive an anesthetic through an epidural before surgery but was instead given potassium that came directly from the hospital pharmacy.

Dorton woke up after surgery unable to feel or move from the sternum down and was later told she has T-6 paralysis, her family said. Kristina Dorton, her daughter-in-law, told WKRN-TV that the knee replacement itself went well but that the rest of her body did not.

It was supposed to be the anesthetic, Dorton said. It was supposed to be bupivacaine, and it was potassium, and we do not know what quantity. She added that her mother-in-law has no feeling from her breastbone down and that treatment to help her recover is not working.

Fox News reported that CBS News said a second patient is also paralyzed. All four affected patients face serious complications from the mix-up, according to multiple reports. The hospital CEO, Dr. Shubhada Jagasia, said the patients are being cared for and that leadership has met directly with each family.

What safeguards is the hospital putting in place?

Ascension Saint Thomas said a comprehensive review confirmed no other patients were affected. Hospital leadership self-reported the incident to state regulators after identifying it on August 14 and has since implemented physical, technological, and clinical safeguards aimed at preventing a similar error.

High-alert medications are now stored in separate, distinctly marked locations to reduce selection errors. Spinal medication workflows require a second trained pharmacist to perform final visual and physical checks through independent dual verification.

Any spinal medication scan alert must now trigger a mandatory hard stop and be resolved through independent verification before proceeding. The hospital also said it continues to collaborate with state and federal officials and has engaged independent, third-party quality experts to review and validate its mitigation plans.

Our hearts remain entirely with the four patients and families impacted by the recent event, the hospital said in its Friday statement. On behalf of our leadership and care teams, we extend our deepest apologies for the harm caused.

Why does this matter beyond the operating room?

A single pharmacy mix-up during an otherwise routine surgery can reshape a family's finances overnight. Paralysis, extended hospital stays, rehabilitation, home modifications, and lost wages often follow catastrophic medical errors long after headlines fade.

For households planning around predictable healthcare costs, incidents like this underscore why emergency reserves, disability coverage, and documented medical records matter. Families navigating recovery also face uncertainty about whether function will return and what ongoing care will cost.

We do not know what recovery looks like or if there is recovery, Kristina Dorton told WKRN-TV. This is life-changing. You do not come out of this without some type of life-altering, catastrophic deficit. Time is of the essence here for recovery, she added.

Stories like this sit at the intersection of patient safety and household financial resilience. For broader context on protecting income and planning for unexpected shocks, see our Wealth Hacks & Passive Income hub, where we cover strategies for building buffers against sudden, life-changing expenses.

What happens next in the investigation?

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed to Fox News Digital on Saturday, August 22, that it is investigating the incident. TBI said it received information on Friday from the Tennessee Healthcare Facilities Commission, which oversees healthcare facility regulation in the state.

It remains unclear whether criminal charges or civil lawsuits will follow. The hospital has not disputed that the error originated in its pharmacy, and state and federal officials continue to review the case alongside the hospital's own investigation.

For the Dorton family and the three other patients, the immediate focus is medical stability and whether any recovery is possible. For regulators, the question is whether new safeguards are enough and how a high-alert drug reached four spines on the same day.