Murat Tarakçı, who lives in Gebze, applied to a private hospital in Tuzla with a complaint of earache. According to Tarakçı's claim, fluid accumulation in his right middle ear was detected in the examinations and it was decided to perform an operation on his right ear.
Stating that he felt severe pain in his left ear when he woke up after the surgery, Tarakçı asked the staff which ear was operated on. He said that when he learned that the procedure was performed on his left ear, he informed the medical team that there was a mistake.
It was stated that after the mistake was noticed, the surgical team reconvened and Tarakçı was operated under general anesthesia for the second time on the same day, this time the procedure was performed on his right ear.
"MY WRONG EAR WAS SURGERED"
Explaining his experiences, Tarakçı said:
"I was examined at the hospital with the complaint of earache. As a result of the tests and examinations, it was determined that there was fluid accumulation in my right middle ear and I was taken into surgery. As a result of the surgery, the wrong ear was operated on, even though it was clearly stated in the tests and examinations. When I came out of the surgery, I felt severe pain in my left ear and I asked the person who took the stretcher, 'Which ear did you operate on?' and I was told it was my left ear. I also stated that they made a mistake."
"I WAS SHOCKED BECAUSE I WAS NOT EXPECTING"
Stating that being operated on for the second time on the same day was traumatic for him, Tarakçı continued as follows:
"Then the surgery team gathered again and I was told that I needed to be taken into the second surgery urgently. They took me to the second surgery and then operated on the ear that needed to be done again. I was shocked because I wasn't expecting it. I don't know what the procedure was done. Was it the right surgery, the wrong surgery, or did I have a surgery that should have been done to someone else? Frankly, it was a traumatic situation. I had the stress of being subjected to general anesthesia twice on the same day and having to have surgery twice again."
POST-OPERATIVE TINNINITIATION AND LOSS OF BALANCE CLAIM
Tarakçı claimed that his health problems continued after the surgeries.
"After the surgery, I experience constant ringing, buzzing, hearing loss and loss of balance. This is a university hospital. Maybe hundreds, thousands of students are trained for the health sector every year. Confusing right and left by a professor is a truly grave mistake. I want the hospital to make the necessary corrections to prevent it from happening again on other people. I also want the Ministry of Health to supervise these as necessary."
LAWYER: "IT IS A SERIOUS MEDICAL PRACTICE ERROR"
Tarakçı's lawyer, Hakan Yıldız, stated that they started the legal process and said that inserting a tube into the left ear instead of the right ear is defined as "wrong side surgery" in medical law.
Yıldız said, "Although it is clearly stated in all medical documents that the client's right ear should be operated on, accidentally inserting a tube into the client's left ear instead of his right ear is a serious medical malpractice that is called 'wrong side surgery' in medical law and is unacceptable."
Yıldız argued that they thought that the necessary surgical safety protocols were not followed and that Tarakçı's exposure to general anesthesia twice in a short period of time posed additional health risks.
INVESTIGATION PERMISSION IS EXPECTED FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Explaining that they filed a complaint against the hospital and the doctor in question, Yıldız said, "We are currently waiting for an investigation permission from the Ministry of Health in terms of the judicial part. We think that this permission will be given in a short time. We will follow the process meticulously in the future to protect the rights of the client."
HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT DID NOT MAKE A STATEMENT
The hospital management, which is the focus of the allegations, stated that it would not be appropriate to make a statement at this stage due to the ongoing legal process.
The hospital management stated that the necessary response would be given if an official letter was received from the judicial authorities.
