WINDSOR, Ont. A surgeon who faced heavy public scrutiny, triggered a health ministry review and a $2.2-million lawsuit for unnecessarily removing a cancer-free breast is again in the eye of the storm.

An error by the pathology department at Windsor Regional Hospital led to Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital surgeon Dr. Barbara Heartwell performing a lumpectomy and removing the lymph nodes of a woman who was in good health.

The pathology department inadvertently mixed up her test results with another woman diagnosed with breast cancer at an advanced stage.

"They looked at results of the two patients and mixed them up," said one source. "She had surgery she didn't need."

Removal of lymph nodes is usually only done in advanced cases of cancer and can otherwise have long-term health consequences.

Windsor Regional CEO and President David Musyj emphasized Friday none of the blame lies with Heartwell.

"This was not a diagnosis error," he said. "What we are dealing with here is an unfortunate administrative error made in our pathology department where existing practices and procedures were not followed. If they were followed, this would not have happened.

"This had nothing to do with the surgeon. Dr. Heartwell did everything appropriately and did nothing wrong whatsoever."

Details of the patient, including her age and health condition, were not released by the hospital at her request, Musyj said.

A meeting was held Wednesday involving the patient, her nurse practitioner, Heartwell, Dr. Gary Ing and Dr. David Shum, head of the pathology department. All pathology work in the Windsor area has been recently consolidated at Windsor Regional.

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Surgeon not at fault in breast surgery mix-up, hospital says