Colorado residents may be interested in a medical malpractice suit in which a woman is suing several parties over a surgical glove that was reportedly left in her abdomen during surgery. On Dec. 30, 2011, doctors at Omaha’s Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction performed a six-hour surgery on the woman with the intent of boosting fertility. It was unknown at the time, but a surgical error was made that would ultimately prevent her from having children.
After the surgery, the woman complained of abdominal pain and other symptoms but was told that they were common responses to surgery. By November 2012, the woman was not pregnant and continued to experience painful symptoms. A radiologist discovered what appeared to be a cyst, and it was later concluded to be ovarian cancer.
On September 4, 2013, doctors performed a hysterectomy to remove the cancerous cyst. During the surgery, instead of a cyst, doctors discovered a surgical glove that was filled with a clear fluid and tied off in a knot. It is believed that the glove was used during the original surgery but was then left in her abdomen.
Individuals who suffer injury due to medical mistakes are often able to pursue compensation through medical malpractice litigation with the help of an attorney. In this case, the woman and her husband have sued the doctors who performed the surgery and are seeking $1.75 million in damages. In the suit, the couple say that the mistake caused her discomfort and pain and eventually led her to undergo unnecessary surgeries, resulting in feelings of fear and dread.
Source: Omaha World-Herald, “Woman sues for $1.75M, alleging glove left inside her after surgery at Creighton med center”, Bob Glissmann, January 06, 2014