Woman in labor asked for epidural, gets disinfectant

A woman in labor was given an injection of a disinfectant directly into her nervous system instead of an epidural.

The Local reports that the Swedish mother had been admitted to a hospital in Malmo because she was in labor. When she asked for an epidural - a common procedure during childbirth - she was given a shot of chlorhexidine, which is a strong chemical used to disinfect medical catheters.

The mix-up happened when two containers were mistakenly switched.

Epidurals are meant to block pain by injecting pain killers directly into the nerve canal along the spine. Yet, a week after giving birth, the woman was still at the hospital in extreme pain.

She was finally released two weeks after the incident. The long-term effects of the disinfectant in her body are still unknown.