Objects Left in the Body After Surgery

Objects being left in the body after a surgical procedure may seem unrealistic at first. Sadly, though, this is a very real danger that affects about 1,500 patients in the United States each year. These leftover items can cause more damage and infections that require more hospitalization and possibly even more surgery.

When you need to have surgery, you have enough to worry about without having to think about surgical instruments being left in your body. However, when doctors and the medical team become careless, this can happen to you. If you or someone you know has suffered from a surgical object left in the body after surgery, call the Champaign medical malpractice attorneys of Spiros Law, P.C., today to discuss your case.

Risk Factors for Leftover Surgical Tools

Even though surgeons utilize a wide variety of instruments during an operation, there is no excuse for recklessly leaving a tool behind. Nonetheless, there are certain risk factors that can increase your chance of having this happen to you, such as:

• Obesity or being overweight
• Undergoing emergency surgery
• Having changes in the surgical plan made during the operating procedure

The most common place for a tool to be lost is the abdominal cavity, closely followed by the thoracic cavity. Sponges can be left in the body for a long time because they are undetectable by X-ray unless a special type of X-ray visible sponge is used. Also, tools like knives, scalpels, clamps, and needles can be left behind.

Contact Us

Negligent surgical teams that fail to count their tools before and after surgery should be held liable for their actions if they leave damaging instruments inside a patient’s body. If you have suffered from this injustice, contact the Champaign medical malpractice attorneys of Spiros Law, P.C., today at (217) 328-2828 to begin your fight for justice.