Claiming compensation for items retained following surgery

The idea of surgical instruments being left in the body following surgery sounds nasty – and it is. According to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, or NICE as its more commonly referred to, surgical instruments should never be left in the body given the number of regulations and guidelines currently in place. If this does happen, a thorough investigation is needed into how and why the mistakes were made and the person responsible must be identified and disciplined as necessary.

Stopping surgical instruments from being retained

However, there are guidelines in place to prevent such items being left inside the body. The most simple of these is the fact that items must be counted before and after the surgery to ensure that nothing has been lost. If something is found to be missing, it must be found before any incisions are closed.

Compensation Claims

The consequences of having a surgical instrument left inside the body can be horrendous depending on the nature of the instrument and where in the body it has been left. Generally speaking, an infection will be the first symptom accompanied by extreme pain, sickness and fever. However, consequences can be far more severe such as sepsis and damage to organ tissue.

Any patient who undergoes such a horrible experience should visit a solicitor as son as they have recovered from the corrective procedure, or they can get a family member to do this for them. Leaving objects inside a patient suggests serious negligence and it is only right that you should be compensated for your injuries and the time off work or loss of amenity that may result. Our specialist medical negligence solicitors have the expertise needed to help you with your claim.