A Tennessee grandmother was left paralyzed from the chest down after her family claims she was allegedly given a drug used in lethal injections in a reported medicine mix-up at a hospital.
Glenda Dorton, 72, went into Nashville’s Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown on Friday for a knee replacement, where she was allegedly given potassium chloride instead of an epidural to control the pain, her family told WSMV4. Potassium chloride can be extremely dangerous if incorrectly administered, and was used in the past as part of Tennessee’s lethal-injection protocol — although the Volunteer State now uses a different cocktail of drugs.
Dorton is now paralyzed from the chest down and remains in the ICU, her daughter-in-law Kristina Dorton told the outlet, as doctors determine whether they can reverse the damage.
At least three other patients were affected at the hospital in an undisclosed “event,” according to Ascension Saint Thomas management. The hospital has not confirmed Dorton’s family’s claim that she was given the wrong medication. No further information has been released about the other three patients, with the hospital citing patient privacy.
“On behalf of our leadership and care teams, I am deeply sorry for the harm caused to our patients,” hospital president and CEO Dr. Shubhada Jagasia told WSMV on Tuesday.
“We have met directly with each of the families to express our deep support, connected them with spiritual care teams, and ensured they have access to all appropriate resources and ongoing care needed,” added Dr. Jagasia.
Ascension Saint Thomas did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
In the viral moment that sparked national outrage, Dorton’s family went public with their allegations that a routine knee surgery had turned catastrophic due to a medication error involving a substance historically associated with executions. The case drew immediate attention to hospital safety protocols and the potential consequences of pharmaceutical mix-ups in surgical settings. Potassium chloride, while used in controlled medical contexts to treat certain conditions, can cause cardiac arrest and severe neurological damage when administered improperly or in incorrect dosages.
The incident at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown represents the latest in a series of patient safety concerns affecting the broader Ascension health system. The Nashville facility is part of one of the largest nonprofit and Catholic health systems in the United States, operating approximately 140 hospitals and 40 senior care facilities across 19 states and the District of Columbia.
Dorton’s condition remained critical as medical teams evaluated whether any intervention could restore function below her chest. The grandmother’s family has not indicated whether they plan legal action against the hospital, though the case has already drawn significant attention from patient safety advocates and local media.
The hospital’s acknowledgment of an “event” affecting multiple patients during surgeries suggests systemic issues may have contributed to the medication mix-up, though management has declined to specify the nature of the failures or whether staffing, labeling, or procedural breakdowns played a role.
Ascension has faced other operational challenges in recent months, including a major ransomware attack in May 2024 that forced hospitals nationwide to revert to paper records and disrupted clinical workflows for extended periods.