BY EARNEST WINSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
EDGEWOOD -- Kentucky State Police are investigating an incident at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South in which a patient claims she found mercury in her intravenous line, police said Monday.
St. Elizabeth officials contacted state police April 3 and "requested us to do an investigation in conjunction with their security department and . . . Edgewood Police Department. A foreign substance was found in the IV tubes, and it was collected and has been tested, and it's been identified as mercury," said Detective Rodney Ballard of the Dry Ridge post.
The hospital's south unit is in Edgewood.
St. Elizabeth spokeswoman Karla Webb declined to name the 31-year-old female who notified hospital staff about the substance she found in her IV.
"On April 2, a patient reported a substance in an IV tube to staff. Lab results showed that the substance was mercury," the spokeswoman said. "We cannot disclose details of the situation to protect the patient's privacy and support the investigation.
"The patient was discharged from the hospital April 10. This incident was isolated and nothing further has occurred. Our highest concern is the patient's safety and well-being," the spokeswoman said.
If inhaled over a period of time, mercury vapors can damage the central nervous system.
