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Blog Category:

Medical Malpractice, Surgery Errors & Hospital Injuries

11/25/2008
Mischelle Weedman-Davis
Comments (1)

Medical Malpractice: Leaving Surgical Sponge or Other Foreign Objects In Patients

I recently ran across a study published in 2003 by The New England Journal of Medicine which found that approximately 4,000 sponges are accidentally left inside patients every year. In at least 88 percent of these cases, the medical staff had falsely recorded a correct sponge count after surgery. This means in the majority of cases a sponge is left inside a surgical patient because a nurse makes an error in counting the sponges.  How hard is it to keep a written tally of the sponges used in a surgical procedure.  I realize that mistakes do occur, but 4000 sponges.... each year??!! 

The New England Journal study, focusing on 54 patients who filed claims for a medical malpractice claim, found that 69 percent of the foreign objects left behind after surgery were sponges and 31 percent were medical instruments. At least thirty-seven (37) of those patients required corrective surgery and one died.

The situation has become so dire that there are medical-equipment companies who have now invented sponges with RFID (radio frequency identification) tags in them to closely track their whereabouts. Boy, I can think of a better and cheaper way to prevent these medical errors - correctly count all sponges, towels, and surgical equipment before and after the procedure.

In one case that I'm handling, a woman had a surgical sponge inside her abdomen for more than two years.  She kept going back to the doctor with complaints of back pain, incontinence, and stomach pain.  The doctors kept telling her that this was a part of her recovery and that she may always have some minor discomfort.  The problem was that her initial surgery was a hysterectomy, and this procedure does not create permanent back pain.  Then my client went to see a chiropractor for her back pain.  The chiropractor took an x-ray and noted a large mass.  The client was referred out for a CT scan, which confirmed this mass.  Finally, a radiologist determined the mass was a foreign object.  By this time more than 2 years had elapsed.  The sponge had actually been partly absorbed by the client's intestines, necessitating emergency surgery to remove it. 




1 Comments to "Medical Malpractice: Leaving Surgical Sponge or Other Foreign Objects In Patients"

When an injury or illness forces you to seek help from a physician or go to the hospital, you generally feel assured that a doctor’s years of experience and training will result in excellent treatment. We always wanted a best service and medical doctor just to assure the best result and fast recovery we can. However, that’s not the case in Italy – they’re going to need some type of payday loans to heal the wounds caused by medical malpractice. Italian authorities have arrested 70 nurses and hospital attendants who allegedly got their jobs using fake nursing diplomas. The criminal organization behind this was selling these diplomas to those who were looking for extra cash or a higher payday, which ran about 15,000 Euros or $19,000 dollars. The clients were required to go through a very basic training as not to give away their incompetence and expose the sham program. Fortunately, their lack of experience eventually caught up and the crime ring’s operation was brought down. Here in the U.S., there have been many reports of malpractice over the years. We’ve heard horrifying stories of people who were given the wrong diagnosis. There are stories of individuals who get the wrong limbs amputated or go in for surgery and end up getting the wrong organ removed, some even leading to a wrongful death. There are startling statistics on malpractice; some 44,000 to 88,000 cases get filed each year. But in truth, medical professionals are only humans and mistakes are bound to happen. Although we will never be able to completely master being perfect, there are other things we can do that are within our capabilities to improve our medical system. One of the important issues we must address is the grueling schedule worked by new resident doctors. A poll said that the longest average shift worked by those in residency was 37.6 hours with most working over eighty hours a week on average. Sleep deprivation is not only a rising concern in this field, but it can result in something absolutely deadly. So the next time you go to the doctor and he looks sleepy, don’t hesitate to reschedule your appointment – your life may depend on it. Click here to read the full article yourself on the payday loan money blog at Personalmoneystore.com.
Posted by Noah Z on December 16, 2008 at 03:21 AM

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Seattle, WA 98121
Phone: (206) 727-4000
Fax: (206) 727-4001
Toll Free: 1-800-4-Accident

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NE 8th Street
Bellevue WA 98004
Phone: (206) 727-4000
Toll Free: 1-800-4-Accident

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