Surgical Tools Left in the Body

Individuals may require surgery for a number of reasons. After a serious accident, surgery may be the only way to fix a bone. Some individuals require reconstructive procedures after particularly damaging illnesses. Other individuals have surgery for cosmetic reasons.

No matter what reason an individual has for getting surgery, the process usually is the same. Surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses use tools to open an individual's body and directly fix the problem with a series of procedures.

Surgical tools are incredibly important, as they allow surgeons to dig deeper, and remove or reconstruct what needs to be fixed. Some of the most commonly used surgical tools include:

Scalpels
Sponges
Clamps
Scissors

Each of these tools makes surgery possible and is usually essential to completing a procedure safely. Unfortunately, some surgeons, usually through negligence, leave surgical tools in the body after a procedure is complete, suturing patients' wounds and sending them on their ways.

This is dangerous for a number of reasons. For one, many of these instruments are metal, meaning that they may damage internal organs should they come into close contact with sensitive body parts.

Sponges, on the other hand, may harbor many bacteria and viruses, leading an individual to get a potentially life-threatening infection.

In the case of metal instruments, they can be easily detected with metal detectors, such as the large body scanners found in airports. Sponges, on the other hand, are usually nonmetallic, meaning that the only way to find out whether one has been left in the body is with an x-ray, and some sponges will not show up on an x-ray.

Regardless of the tool left in the body, it is usually done so errantly and may present a health hazard to some individuals. If you or someone you love had a tool left in your body after a surgical procedure, discuss your case with the Madison medical malpractice attorneys of Habush Habush & Rottier, S.C.