Lawsuit brought in connection to left-behind surgical sponge

Sadly, there are many different types of surgical errors that patients here in Missouri and in the rest of the country are sometimes exposed to. One such error is the accidental leaving behind of surgical equipment inside of a patient. This type of surgical negligence can be incredibly impactful on patients. Having a foreign object unintentionally left inside of one’s body can lead to a person suffering many harms, including infection, illness and having to undergo additional surgeries.

Recently, a case involving an alleged left-behind surgical object has arisen in another state. The state in question is Louisiana.

The case involves a man and a surgery he underwent in 2010. The surgery was aimed at removing colon cancer the man had.

The man alleges that, during this surgery, a surgical sponge was negligently left inside of him. The man says that, a few months after the surgery, the sponge’s presence was discovered and a surgical procedure was performed to remove the sponge. According to the man, in the time between the colon cancer surgery and the sponge removal surgery, he experienced fevers, high levels of drainage and abdominal bloating/swelling.

A medical malpractice lawsuit has been brought by the man in connection to these allegations. A doctor and a hospital have been named as defendants in this lawsuit. The man is asking for damages in the lawsuit.

One hopes that all medical professionals and medical facilities take care to avoid committing surgical errors like the one alleged in this case. No patient should have to be subjected to having a surgical object negligently left inside of them.

If a person has been the victim of the leaving behind of a surgical object or some other form of surgical negligence, they may wish to consider speaking to an experienced medical malpractice attorney. A medical malpractice attorney can help a surgical negligence victim figure out what options for seeking relief are available and can help them pursue such options.

Source: The Louisiana Record, “Patient sues doctor, hospital alleging sponge left inside him during cancer surgery,” Kyle Barnett, Aug. 22, 2013