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Retained Objects From Surgery
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Retained Objects From Surgery
Serious Injuries from Retained Surgical Objects
We represent patients who suffer serious injuries when hospitals leave foreign objects in the body during surgery. Those patients are at risk for deadly infections, require unnecessary surgery, and they incur excessive medical bills.Why is Medicare refusing to pay to remove surgical sponges?
The reason is simple and logical: it is a never event. There is no legitimate reason why a patient should leave the operating room with a surgical sponge, towel, or instrument left inside her body. These events should never happen. They only happen when someone is not being careful. In most cases responsibility falls with the nurse for failing to properly account for each sponge placed in the patient's body.
It is a basic principle of surgical nursing that prior to surgery the nurse must have an accurate count of the number of sponges in the surgical field. The nurse must keep an accurate count of the number of sponges placed in the patient's body during surgery and then count each sponge removed. Before the surgeon sews up the patient, it is the nurse's job to tell the surgeon if a sponge remains in the patient's body.
The complications of leaving sponges in a patient are serious. In most cases the patient will require further surgery with risks of anesthesia, infection, and even death. Even in the best case scenario the patient must go through a painful recovery and miss time from work and family activities.
At Williamson & Lavecchia, L.C. we have represented numerous patients who were injured because foreign objects were carelessly left in their bodies. Examples include hysterectomies, c-sections, and gall bladder removal. For more information please read our retained object practice page.
Unfortunately Virginia has a short statute of limitations so if you or a loved one was injured because a surgical object was not properly removed, please call us at (804) 288-1661 or contact us by email to discuss your legal rights.
Technology to Prevent Retained Operating Room Sponges
Last year I blogged about Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles implementing radio technology to prevent surgeons and nurses from leaving surgical sponges in patients. Well the technology has made its way to Richmond, Virginia. The VCU Medical Center (formerly known as MCV) has started using this technology designed to significantly reduce the incidence of foreign objects like sponges and laparotomy pads from being left inside of a patient.During abdominal and pelvic surgeries, surgeons may place dozens of sponges inside of the patient to absorb blood and other fluids. One of the operating room nurse's responsibilities is to keep an accurate count of all sponges that are placed in the patient and an accurate count of all sponges that are removed. If the count does not indicate that all sponges have been removed, the nurse should notify the surgeon who can locate and remove the sponge before closing the patient.
According to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, upwards of 1 out of 1000 patients who undergo abdominal or pelvic surgeries are injured due to foreign objects being left in their bodies. This technology allows the surgeon to essential scan the patient for any surgical sponges that may have been missed.
On our website we have a practice section devoted to foreign objects that are left inside of a patient. Click here to learn more.
If you or a loved one has been injured because a foreign object was not removed during surgery, please contact us by email or call us at (804) 288-1661 for a free consultation.
Hospital leaves a sponge in a patient
This week I was contacted by another patient who left the hospital with a sponge left inside of her. It is shocking how often this happens. In most cases it is due to the failure of the surgical nurses to count correctly. During surgery, the surgeon often places numerous sponges in the patient. It is the job of the surgical nurses to keep an accurate count of the number of sponges put in the patient and the number of sponges removed. If the count is inaccurate the nurse should notify the surgeon and the surgeon should find the sponge and remove it. Sounds simple, right. Well, we've represented patients who had sponges left in them during child birth, gall bladder surgery, and other procedures. Click here to learn more about a hospital's duties to prevent these serious injuries. Josh SilvermanNothing Left Behind: Preventing Retained Objects From Surgery
Cedar-Sinai Hospital in California has taken positive steps to prevent foreign objects from being left inside of a patient following surgery. The problem is very serious, occuring approximately 1 out of every 1000 to 1500 abdominal and chest surgeries. Cedar Sinai has taken a leadership role in requiring surgeons to x-ray patients prior to closing the body cavity in surgeries at higher risk for leaving foreign objects in the patient. That seems like a very reasonable step to prevent patients from suffering through unnecessary surgery, serious infections, and even the loss of life.
Retained foreign objects is a frequent source of litigation because of its dangerous and serious consequences. At Williamson & Lavecchia, L.C. we have represented numerous victims of hospitals who negligently leave surgical sponges and instruments inside of patients. For more information, please click here to contact us.
Regards,
Williamson & Lavecchia, L.C.
6800 Paragon Place
Suite 233
Richmond, VA 23230-1652
Phone: (804) 288-1661
Fax: (804) 282-1766