A 90-year-old woman who went to the hospital to get her leg amputated had the wrong limb removed by Austrian doctors, the Austrian Independent reported Friday.
The patient, who was rushed to St. Johann hospital in Tyrol, Austria last month suffering from vascular disease, had both legs removed after doctors realized they initially removed the wrong one.
Hospital bosses tried to cover up the incident and when it became public they hid behind their Hippocratic Oath, claiming medical confidentiality, according to newspaper Kleine Zeitung.
Prosecutors were expected to begin investigating and the doctors involved could face charges of negligence and causing bodily harm.
In a statement, the hospital said human error as well as a breakdown in safety measures were to blame for the mistake, adding that it would "do everything to guarantee this incident is clarified without fault," AFP reported.
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