Why do we have to mark all sites, even ones on the midline, like for a coronary artery bypass graft?
Because the correct patient getting the correct operation on the wrong side is not the only thing we need to prevent. Over 50% of incorrect surgeries are not laterality mistakes but something else, such as the wrong patient or wrong procedure. In fact, in a review of the VA database, 36% of the incorrect surgeries were done to the wrong patient, usually one who was scheduled to get a different procedure. A patient is likely to speak up if he understands that he is supposed to have an operation on his chest at the midline and the surgeon wants to mark a site on his abdomen or leg.
