The Dangers of Doctors Leaving Surgical Tools Inside You While You're Under the Knife

Although the new trend in medicine is elective surgical procedures, many people still cringe at the thought of going under the knife. Do you really know what happens after you go under?

A daughter is currently suing the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland for leaving a surgical towel in her mother's chest during surgery. The towel was found after she died years later during an autopsy.

How did the towel end up there? Even though you are sleeping during your surgical procedure, all your body functions still function. Your heart is still beating and your blood is still flowing. Naturally, when a doctor makes an incision, there is going to be bleeding. Doctors use sterile sponges and towels with strings attached to them to clean up excess blood loss and to clean the area they are working on. After the procedure, doctors and nurses are required to count each tool used to ensure nothing is left behind. If the alleged towel was in fact left behind, someone obviously didn't do their job.

This isn't the first time doctors have been accused of leaving things behind. According to Seattle reporter Carol Smith, back in 2001, University of Washington doctors were accused of leaving 5 surgical instruments inside patients after surgery in a five year period. Smith also reports UW stating that "The UW performs about 12,000 surgeries a year, and metal instruments are left in less than one out of every 10,000 cases, Larson said. "But we are aiming for zero defects."

A study from The New England Journal of Medicine from January 13th, 2003: