2023-09-05 13:49:51
A plate-sized surgical tool has been discovered in a woman’s abdomen more than 18 months after she gave birth by caesarean section, in Auckland City, New Zealand.
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The case came to light due to the New Zealand Health Commissioner’s report released on Monday.
The “forgotten” object in the woman’s belly is an “Alexis retractor”, or AWR, which can measure 17 centimeters in diameter. It was left in the woman’s body after her baby was born by caesarean section in 2020.
The AWR is a cylinder-shaped device with a translucent film, which can retract. It is used to remove the edges of a wound during surgery, CNN reports.
The woman suffered from chronic pain for months and underwent several examinations. X-rays were even taken, but the object was not visible.
At one point, the pain became so intense that she had to go to the emergency room. It was then, 18 months later, that the tool was discovered through an abdominal scan. It was removed at this time.
photo taken from the appliedmedical website
The hospital’s board of health initially claimed that a nurse in her 20s who attended to the woman during the caesarean failed to show reasonable skill and care to the patient.
The report explains that the woman had a C-section which was planned due to concerns about placenta previa, which occurs when the placenta completely or partially covers the opening of the uterus.
Commissioner McDowell recommended the Auckland District Health Board issue a written apology to the woman and review its practices during surgeries by including AWRs in the surgical instrument count.
Further action could be taken against the hospital.
“On behalf of our Women’s Health Service at Te Toka Tumai Auckland and Te Whatu Ora, I would like to say how sorry we are for what happened to the patient and acknowledge the impact it will have had on her and her whānau [famille]said Dr. Mike Shepherd, the hospital’s director of operations in a statement.
“We wish to assure the public that such incidents are extremely rare and we remain confident in the quality of our surgical and maternity care.”
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