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Surgical Error: Objects Left Inside Patients (Part A)

When you undergo surgery, you do so with the trust that the surgeon and medical team will do everything they can to ensure a safe and successful outcome. Having a surgical procedure is enough of a concern without having to worry about the potential of becoming the victim of a surgical error. Such an instance of medical malpractice can lead to further injury, both physical and emotional.

If you have been the victim of a surgical error, you may be eligible to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. A Chicago medical malpractice lawyer can help determine if medical negligence played a part in your surgical error.

Common Surgical Errors

A surgical error can worsen any condition that necessitated surgery. Some of the most common surgical errors include:

• Errors in administering anesthesia;
• Performing the wrong operation;
• Performing surgery on the wrong patient;
• Performing surgery on the wrong area or side of a patient;
• Infection caused by unsterile environment; and
• Puncturing or perforating an organ.

One of the most alarmingly common surgical errors occurs when objects are left inside patients. This is also referred to by medical personnel as having a "retained foreign object."

Overview of Surgical Error: Objects Left Inside Patients

It may be hard to believe, but objects left inside patients are a common type of surgical error. For example, according to a 2003 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, medical professionals leave behind a sponge or other foreign object in 1 of 1,000 to 5,000 of the surgeries performed on the abdomen.

The types of objects that are often left inside patients include:

• needles;
• clips;
• electrosurgical adapters;
• blades;
• cotton;
• sponges;
• gauze;
• clamps; and
• other surgical instruments.

Of all of these, sponges are the most common object left inside patients. In some surgeries, as many as 600 sponges can be used.

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