Surgical errors cause patient to undergo more surgery

Louisiana families know that bringing a child into the world is an amazing and somewhat terrifying experience. The memories of the day that a child is born should not be marred by pain caused by surgical errors. Such was the case for one mother who was forced to undergo more surgery to correct a preventable issue.

In October of 2014, a woman underwent a cesarean section to deliver her baby. It wasn’t until eleven weeks later that doctors discovered that an eighteen-inch-square sponge had been left inside of her after the procedure was finished. However, because it took so long to find the sponge, the patient not only required surgery to remove the sponge but also to remove the scar tissue surrounding it. The surgery also required the removal of one of her fallopian tubes and a part of her colon.

The hospital does have a policy that requires the surgical staff to count all of the sponges both before and after surgery. Employees present during the surgery claimed that they thought that the protocol had been followed, but because the board used during procedures to keep track of the number of sponges is not a part of the patient’s official record, they were unable to prove that everything was accounted for upon closing. Therefore, the hospital in question was fined more than $86,000.

Undergoing surgery is stressful enough without considering what problems might arise due to surgical errors. Louisiana patients do not need to suffer because procedures were not followed and mistakes were made. Medical malpractice attorneys can help patients to hold those responsible accountable and possibly to receive compensation for the errors.

Source: sandiegouniontribune.com, “Three San Diego hospitals fined for patient harm incidents“, Paul Sisson, Aug. 31, 2017