Reports of things that can go wrong during surgical procedures in hospitals nationwide, including North Carolina, can lead to anxious anticipation for anyone who is scheduled for surgery. A recent filing of a medical malpractice case in another state underscores the extended period of pain and suffering that can result when a foreign object remains inside the body of a patient after an operation. This case involves a surgical procedure in 2015 that caused the patient severe health problems afterwards, and the patient didn’t find out the cause until four years later.
According to court documents, the plaintiff was diagnosed with gallstones, and after trying unsuccessful medication treatments, physicians told her that the gall bladder would have to be removed. After several procedures in 2015, the plaintiff asserts she suffered ongoing pain and signs of infection became evident. When her suffering continued into 2016, she was readmitted, and further surgical procedures were performed.
Allegedly, during the 2016 surgical procedure, the physician identified a foreign object that had been left in the patient’s body during the initial surgery but chose to withhold that information from the plaintiff. Instead, the physician treated her with antibiotics. The plaintiff’s pain and suffering continued, and in 2017, she underwent further tests that also failed to shed light on the cause. Then, in February, tests revealed that a sponge was left in the plaintiff’s abdomen when her gallbladder was removed in 2015.
The medical malpractice claim that this woman filed will go to trial by jury in 2020. The defendants include almost 80 individuals who are employed at the hospital where the plaintiff was treated. No one should go through years of pain and suffering as a result of negligent hospital workers. Anyone in North Carolina who suspects medical negligence is responsible for adverse health conditions has the right to pursue financial relief. It is a complicated field of the law that should not be tackled without the support and guidance of an experienced medical malpractice attorney.
