Scissors Are Left in Woman After Surgery

[zen]

Here!

"We have put this down to human error. I've been executive director here for four years, and in that time we've done something like 40,000 operations and this is the first time this incident has occurred."

Big bucks headed her way!

[Theophylact]

Another hospital to stay out of:

Desperate times call for desperate measures
Saturday, April 17, 2004

A Pasco man says he had an emergency while in a Bay area hospital.
Phil Henry said he went to Helen Ellis Hospital in Tarpon Springs and was admitted for abdominal pain. A few days into his stay, his I-V malfunctioned causing his right arm to swell.

"On Tuesday night my right arm started hurting. I rung for a nurse. I didn't get anyone and my arm got swollen up about the size of two golf balls and started bleeding," Henry said.

After ringing for a nurse several times, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"I took my urinal can and threw it out in the hallway, still got nobody. I hollered two or three times. Nobody came so I picked up the telephone and dialed 911."

He said he told the dispatcher his name, where he was and described the problem with the I-V.

He then asked the dispatcher to call the hospital.

"Then I got a nurse. After that they took good care of me."

Henry says his doctor also spoke with the administrator of the hospital to try to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again.

The hospital says it does have stringent policies and a responsible staff that pays close attention to patients needs.

It also says whether a patient's worries are real or perceived, it wants to know about them so it can address them quickly.

[Epidemic]

Theo,

I kinda figure that these two are not exactly the same.

Not answering an emergency buzzer and cries of a patient, and an operation where ones intestines are removed from the body resected and stuffed back in. Lots of places for a pair of scissors to hide.

One is clear negligence and the other has a high chance for accidents. None the less the woman should get something for her troubles.

[zen]

Originally posted by Epidemic
None the less the woman should get something for her troubles.

Ya think?

[Epidemic]

Probably most I would give her would be about 50k from the description.

[thekingofpain]

I saw that earlier---when you have surgery you sign a "release"---in one of my many surgerys I had a 4x4" sponge left inside me---talk about an infected mess, my skin (lower abdomen) was on the verge of ripping open like in the movie Alien, they removed it while I was awake looked like a dead rat had been inside me for a few weeks, and because of the release---NO recourse...

Added about a month and a half to that hospital stay trying to clean me out plus im anti-biotic allergic---geeez

[Theophylact]

Originally posted by Epidemic
I kinda figure that these two are not exactly the same.

Not answering an emergency buzzer and cries of a patient, and an operation where ones intestines are removed from the body resected and stuffed back in. Lots of places for a pair of scissors to hide.

One is clear negligence and the other has a high chance for accidents. None the less the woman should get something for her troubles.

Sure they're different. And leaving scissors, retractors, sponges and so forth inside a person after surgery is unfortunately not as uncommon as all that.

Nevertheless, there should be some way short of calling 911 to get a nurse's attention in an emergency. (I don't see any sign of an impending lawsuit in the story, either.)

[Epidemic]

Originally posted by thekingofpain
I saw that earlier---when you have surgery you sign a "release"---in one of my many surgerys I had a 4x4" sponge left inside me---talk about an infected mess, my skin (lower abdomen) was on the verge of ripping open like in the movie Alien, they removed it while I was awake looked like a dead rat had been inside me for a few weeks, and because of the release---NO recourse...

Added about a month and a half to that hospital stay trying to clean me out plus im anti-biotic allergic---geeez

I am not sure but a release form is not completely relieving them of responsibility. Personally I believe if they made a mistake there should be some limited recourse on reasonable mistakes.
Not a lottery mind you but something to cover the operation costs, and lost time from work...

[osprey4]

No, the release does not absolve them of medical misconduct.

Isn't one of the nurses or someone supposed to COUNT all the instruments to make sure everything is accounted for?

[geeraff]

It is standard practice.

Originally posted by osprey4


Isn't one of the nurses or someone supposed to COUNT all the instruments to make sure everything is accounted for?