A routine knee replacement meant to restore 72-year-old Glenda Dorton’s mobility has instead left her facing an uncertain future after her family says the wrong medication was injected before surgery. The Centerville, Tennessee woman arrived at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown in Nashville on August 14 expecting a procedure that millions of Americans undergo each year. Her family says the operation itself went well, but what happened before it began changed everything.
According to her daughter-in-law, Kristina Dorton, the medication placed into Glenda’s spine for a pre-surgical epidural was not the intended anesthetic. She says it was potassium, a drug that can cause severe harm when administered incorrectly. After waking in recovery, Glenda could not feel or move anything from her chest down.
The hospital has confirmed that four patients were affected during joint replacement procedures that day. Its CEO apologized, while state health inspectors and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation opened investigations. Ascension says it found a cause and added safeguards, but the hospital has not publicly explained what went wrong.
“Her Knee Is Great. The Rest of Her Is Not.”
The family’s description of Glenda’s condition has become the emotional center of a medical safety investigation that still has many unanswered questions.
Kristina said Glenda woke after anesthesia, experiencing burning, itching, and a complete loss of feeling in her legs. The knee replacement itself appeared successful. “The joint replacement went wonderful. Her knee is great. The rest of her is not.”
By August 18, Fox News mentioned that doctors had diagnosed Glenda with T6 paralysis, an injury affecting function roughly from the mid-chest downward. They said she had no feeling, movement, or response to pain below her breastbone.
“We don’t know what recovery looks like or if there is recovery,” Kristina said. “This is life-changing. You don’t come out of this without some type of life-altering, catastrophic deficit.”
After doctors reportedly determined the seriousness of her condition, Glenda was transferred to Ascension Saint Thomas West. The family said she received ventilator support, spinal-fluid drainage and high-dose steroids. The ventilator was removed on August 15, but the paralysis remained.
Four Patients, One Apology… and Few Public Answers
Ascension confirmed the incident involved more than one patient, but details about the other cases remain limited.
Hospital CEO Dr. Shubhada Jagasia told NewsChannel 5 that four patients and their families were affected. “Our hearts are with the four patients and their families impacted by this event,” she said. “On behalf of our leadership and care teams, I am deeply sorry for the harm caused to our patients.”
Jagasia said Ascension met with each family, provided support and ongoing care, and reported the event to state regulators on the day it occurred. She also said the hospital had identified a cause and implemented corrective safeguards.
The hospital has not publicly disclosed the specific cause it identified or explained what changes were put in place. The conditions of the other three patients, including their treatments and outcomes, have also not been released.
What the Family Says Happened Before Surgery
Glenda’s family says the critical mistake happened before she ever entered the operating room.
Kristina told FOX 17 that the medication came from the hospital pharmacy in syringes that were supposed to contain bupivacaine, an anesthetic commonly used for epidural pain management. “Instead of the anesthetic that was going into her spine for that epidural procedure, before the surgery even started, it was potassium,” she said.
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NewsChannel 5 also reported that syringes intended for bupivacaine were instead filled with potassium and that the alleged mistake began in the pharmacy. Ascension, however, has not publicly confirmed that account.
Kristina also reportedly said hospital employees told the family during the day of the procedures that three other joint-surgery patients had received medications described to them as “contaminated vials.” The situation became clear after patients began experiencing severe medical emergencies in sequence, prompting procedures to stop.
The hospital has not confirmed those details.
Why the Wrong Medication Could Be So Dangerous
The drug Glenda’s family says she received is not interchangeable with an epidural anesthetic and carries serious risks when used incorrectly.
Bupivacaine is a widely used anesthetic that helps control pain during procedures such as joint replacements. Potassium chloride serves a completely different medical purpose. Dr. Matthew Byrnes told WSMV that potassium chloride must be administered carefully as a slow intravenous infusion because rapid delivery can create dangerous heart complications.
He said placing potassium directly into the spine could damage spinal cord tissue.
Byrnes also pointed to a challenge inside hospitals: many injectable medications look similar because about 95% appear as clear liquids. That makes accurate labeling, preparation, and verification essential safeguards before medication reaches a patient.
Investigators are now working to determine whether those safeguards failed at Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown and where in the process the alleged error occurred.
Investigations Expand as Families Seek Answers
The investigation has moved beyond the hospital, with state agencies examining how the incident happened and whether safety systems failed.
The Tennessee Health Facilities Commission reportedly sent investigators to Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown after receiving patient safety complaints. NewsChannel 5 reported that the commission notified the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on the evening of August 14. The TBI has confirmed that its investigation remains active.
Metro Nashville Police and the district attorney’s office had not opened separate investigations as of recent reporting. Authorities indicated there was no evidence the incident was intentional. At least two families are consulting attorneys. Kristina said the Dorton family is focused less on punishment and more on understanding what happened.
Glenda Dorton remains hospitalized, and her long-term recovery remains uncertain. The identities, conditions, and outcomes of the other three affected patients have not been publicly described.
The unanswered questions now extend beyond one patient’s tragedy: how a medication intended to relieve pain could allegedly become the source of a devastating injury, and what changes are needed to prevent another family from facing the same uncertainty.
If a hospital internally determines what caused a serious patient-safety event, should it be legally required to disclose those findings to the public, or is regulatory oversight enough?
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