A patient injured as physiologic monitor falls at Eastern Hospital

A bedside physiologic monitor fell and hit a patient last night, the spokesman for Eastern Hospital announced today.

The incident happened at around 7 pm last night (Jul 10) at a surgical ward, where a 70-year-old male patient was staying, as the monitor suddenly fell from the mounting plate and landed on the bed.

The patient sustained a minor abrasion on his forehead and his shoulder was also injured. Further checkups confirmed there were no fractures or abnormalities.

A preliminary inspection showed that the dropping monitor and the supporting mount were intact, with the fixation parts functioning properly. It cannot be ruled out that the cause of the incident was the instrument not securely locked on the mounting plate.

Eastern Hospital informed the patient's family about the incident, and engineering staff were arranged to check all the bedside physiologic monitors of the same model in the ward to ensure safety.

The Hospital will further investigate the cause of the incident and avoid similar occurrences. It will also request necessary improvement measures from the instrument supplier.

The incident has been reported in detail to Hospital Authority via Advanced Incident Reporting System, said the spokesman.