The Rhode Island Health Department has disclosed today that two serious medical errors occurred last summer at Women & Infant’s Hospital in Providence. In both instances, medical and surgical equipment was left inside the patient after the procedure was completed. People often wonder how does such obvious medical malpractice occur? Yet time after time we hear about surgical material left inside patients, wrong site surgeries, and more. This story also shows that obvious medical malpractice can even occur at hospitals with very good reputations and records.
The first incident occurred on July 24 when surgical gauze was left inside a patient following childbirth. The second incident occurred in August when a piece of thread from surgical gauze separated and was left in the patient’s abdomen. From the Department of Health website:
HEALTH conducted an investigation and determined that during the July incident, the obstetrical team did not follow the hospital’s policy about communication of patient information when the staff changed shifts resulting in the gauze roll being left in the patient’s vagina. During the August incident, HEALTH determined that the hospital’s surgical count policy was not followed. At the conclusion of the procedure, a surgical staff member noticed that the marker thread had separated from a gauze pad used during surgery. A piece of x-ray sensitive thread was found and removed before the patient left the operating room, but an x-ray was not done to confirm that the entire piece of thread was removed.
Doctors are well-educated people with good intentions, but mistakes can and do occur, even extremely obvious ones. If a doctor failed to treat a patient within the recognized standard of care, it may be grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
My office is experienced in handling medical malpractice claims. They are extremely complex matters that require careful handling. If you feel that you are the victim of a doctor or hospital negligence, contact our office right away for a free consultation.