Fox news reports on a surprising botched surgery. A woman’s surgeon accidentally left forceps in her abdomen after her surgery.
The woman who underwent the surgery is only forty-four years old. She went in for a minor surgery in a private clinic.
How was it finally uncovered that the surgical team had left the forceps in the young woman?
“During a follow-up appointment two days later, doctors saw on an X-ray that the forceps, a surgical instrument similar to tongs, had been left inside of the woman. Doctors reportedly feared the forceps had been left inside her because they couldn’t find the instrument in the clinic,” according to Fox news.
How was the issue resolved?
The patient had to undergo a second operation to remove the tool from her abdomen.
After all of the extra pain and suffering, the woman successfully sued the hospital for damages. She attributed her case to an extended stay and distress. While one European court ruled the woman did not suffer additional injuries due to the error, the medics were still fined thousands of dollars for the mistake they made.
News sources said that, hospital mistakes such as these might be on the rise in countries like Spain.
Why?
This is due to a shortage of doctors and nurses in these countries.
Have there been other cases like this?
Spanish surgeons did go through a similar case where they left a surgical swab inside a patient.
How long did it take them to find it?
The surgeons finally located and removed it three years later, after the woman had already suffered from severe abdominal pain. The patient was left with a scar when the infected swab was finally taken out of her body.
“CEN reported that the number of doctors in Spain is dwindling: Compared to last year, when there were 40 doctors per 10,000 people in Spain, there are now only 37 per 10,000 people. Last year, there were also over 80 nurses per 10,000 people in the country, while this year there only 51,” according to Fox.
Experts are urging people to be their own best advocate by getting properly checked out after a surgery, especially if they feel that something is not right.
