Foreign Object Left in Patient

Surgical teams should have strict procedures

The discovery of a foreign object in a patient after surgery will very often necessitate a further operation to remove it and can lead to more serious complications, such as septic shock or puncture damage to internal organs. Surgical teams should have procedures in place to ensure that all tools, dressings and other materials are accounted for at the end of an operation to ensure that none are left in the patient.

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The most common objects left behind in patients after surgery are surgical swabs and gauzes used to stem and absorb blood flow during an operation, although in rarer cases solid objects such as clamps and scalpels have been found. Estimates of how often this occurs vary, but some studies suggest that as many as one-in-500 operations leave foreign objects behind.

Why make a claim?

Being left with injury or long term consequences often leads to financial loss, or expenses directly related to the ongoing care of conditions caused by negligence. You have every right to claim compensation to help deal with this financial loss.

Common Questions Relating to Surgical Claims

What happens if the victim’s injury is so severe they cannot start a case for compensation themselves?

In this scenario a claim must be undertaken by a “litigation friend”: this is usually a close family friend, family member, or a spouse who acts in the best interest of the victim.

How much compensation do you get for surgical injury?

How much you can claim will depend very much on the impact and severity of the injury received and ongoing expenses and loss of income.

How are compensation claims calculated?

You may need to be assessed by a medical team for us to better understand your limitations caused by your injury.

Compensation will take into account future physical and psychological support required, specialist equipment and adaptions to your home that are needed. Also, any future pain and suffering that you may experience will be taken into account alongside the loss of work and income related to your injury.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to negligence please contact one of our specialist solicitors on 0333 987 4161 to discuss your claim.

In The News

Pensioner Suffers Dentures Stuck in Throat for Eight Days

Unfortunately, due to an error during routine surgery, a retired electrician spent more than a week with false teeth lodged down his throat. According to a recent news report in the BMJ(British Medical Journal), the shocking incident was not the first time that dentures have found themselves lodged in patients’ windpipes as a result of general anaesthesia.

Devastating Surgeon’s Mistake: Woman Left Unable to Conceive Naturally

Following the publication of a formal medical report, a mother of young children has described her feelings of desolation caused by the surgical removal of the wrong fallopian tube. Clinical support worker Chelsea Thomas recounted her experiences at Manor Hospital, part of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, during March 2018.