A premature baby was given four times the safe daily dose of a steroid for 13 days. A patient went in for surgery on one leg and ended up losing the other leg to compartment syndrome. Three people died after a maintenance worker inadvertently shut off an unlabeled oxygen line.
State data shows serious harm inside Maryland’s 62 hospitals more than tripled between 2019 and 2022 to 769 incidents that killed or injured patients, reaching the highest level since the state began collecting patient safety data in 2004. Safety experts say the historic rise of dangerous missteps, probably fueled by staffing shortages and the strain of the pandemic, may signal systemic failures.
