Back in 2009, a surgeon left 16 items in the body of one of his patients. On Jan. 16, Mail Online reported that the man's family has now filed a lawsuit. The 74-year-old man was in a lot of pain after prostate cancer surgery. A visiting nurse noticed something coming out of his wound and he was taken back to the hospital. The man went under the knife again -- and what was found may shock you.
"A nurse on a home visit in Hanover, Germany, saw a huge gauze pad sticking out from [Dirk Schroeder's] wound. Surgeons later removed 16 items of operating theatre equipment and supplies from inside Schroeder's body, including a needle, a six-inch roll of bandage, a six-inch long compress, several swabs and a fragment of surgical mask," reports Mail Online.
The surgeon left 16 items in Dirk's body that ranged from a needle to a 6" long compress. He had to have three surgeries to remove all of the items from his body. Since then, Schroeder's cancer returned and he passed away. His family is seeking over $120,000 in damages.
The hospital (which has not been named) has responded to the lawsuit, claiming that Schroeder consumed these items after his operation. However, they did not offer exactly how he ingested these materials -- especially that needle. The family is pushing forward with the suit regardless.
"I hope the hospital will settle but otherwise the family are prepared to go all the way and sue in court. The family of the deceased spent lots of money on care, medicines and reconstruction of their home to look after this man," said attorney, Annette Corinth.
The surgeon who left 16 items in the man's body has not been named either.
© Effie Orfanides 2013
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