A critically ill patient at Mayo University Hospital  was mistakenly given an antiseptic mouthwash to drink instead of water while receiving treatment in intensive care.

According to independent.ie the glass was held to the patient's mouth by a consultant, and was partially drank before the mistake was noticed.

He began drooling and became distressed before vomiting shortly afterwards. A complaint said he subsequently suffered from pain, dehydration and fatigue.

The patient, who was in his 40s, had not had anything to drink for some time prior to the incident. He was dehydrated and therefore gulped the liquid that was handed to him by the doctor.

The incident that occurred at Mayo University Hospital (MUH) on June 12 was the subject of an internal investigation. The patient's family were notified this week that the investigation had concluded, and that new practices had been introduced to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

In a letter to the complainant, hospital management apologised for the incident that occurred in the intensive care unit (ICU), where the patient was "inadvertently given mouthwash to drink instead of water".

It also noted that the consultant involved in the incident had already apologised.