A woman is recovering from a second round of surgery after an operating team inserted a right knee part into her left leg by mistake.

The operation at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr had finished when staff realised their mistake and took the woman back into the theatre to correct it.

Orthopaedic operations at the hospital were immediately suspended following the incident which the North Glamorgan Trust has apologised for.

The safety of patients has to be the Trust's prime concern and this is why the action has been taken

Dr Terence Morris, North Glamorgan NHS Trust

The patient, Annie May Carter from Merthyr Tydfil, has returned home. She has said she is considering legal action following the error.

She said: "All of a sudden the doctors ran around my bed and said there'd been a mistake, a right knee joint had been put in my left leg, and that I'd need another operation to repair it.

"I felt my heart going. I didn't have my inhaler that I need for my angina. If my daughter and husband hadn't been there, I think I would have had a heart attack."

Phillip Williams, director of corporate services for the trust, said the incident was not life-threatening and the second operation was a success.

The Royal College of Surgeons is investigating the incident on behalf of the trust.

Operating team withdrawn

According to the trust, the mistake happened when a system of checks was not followed properly.

The orthopaedic team was temporarily withdrawn from operating - this is standard practice after an error has occurred.

However, because other members of staff were on holiday leave, the hospital was forced to cancel all orthopaedic operations at the hospital.

Trust medical director Dr Terence Morris said: "The ambulance service has been advised that until normal service resumes, any patients requiring emergency orthopaedic surgery will be taken to neighbouring trusts.

"North Glamorgan regrets that it finds itself in this situation but the safety of patients has to be the Trust's prime concern and this is why the action has been taken."

No orthopaedic operations will take place at Prince Charles until Monday 9 September when the position will be reviewed.