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Patient files lawsuit after discovering probe left inside body

Surgical procedures are supposed to rectify what ails patients, not cause additional problems. Unfortunately for one California woman, however, the gynecological surgery she obtained at a California surgery center left her with pain, bleeding and the frightening discovery that surgeons left surgical equipment inside her body following the procedure.

The incident began when the mother of three sought treatment at a surgery center for a tubal ligation and a uterine ablation. Following the procedure, which should have been routine, the patient continued to suffer medical trauma, including bleeding and extensive pain. Additionally, she was nauseous and had heavy cramping.

Due to her worsened condition, she sought treatment at her doctor's office after the surgery a total of three times, and the doctor diagnosed her with a severe vaginal infection. Following a course of antibiotics for the infection, she initially began to feel better. Subsequently, however, her pain grew and she made the frightening discovery that there was a metal probe protruding from her body when she saw the probe extending out while going to the bathroom.

She then received an X-ray at an emergency room which confirmed that there was a piece of surgical equipment from the procedure still in her body. Finally, after 11 weeks inside her body, the surgical probe was removed. Following this apparent surgical negligence, the patient has now filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the clinic that provided her medical care.

Fortunately, the patient is recovering well, but the situation could have been much worse for her. Alarmingly, surgical equipment left inside a patient is not as rare as one might think. As many as 4,000 Americans experience the trauma of a foreign object being left in their body after a surgical procedure annually.

Source: CBS News, "Woman's mysterious pain solved after foreign object discovered in her body," Sep. 29, 2016

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