Medical Students Find Towel Left In Woman's Chest

[Kadie]

Medical Students Find Towel Left In Woman's Chest
Woman Donates Body To College

POSTED: 10:57 am EDT August 6, 2004

CANTON, Ohio -- For seven years before her death, Bonnie Valle told her family and her doctors she had an odd feeling in her chest.

The feeling turned out to be a surgical towel that had been left behind during a 1995 surgery and wasn't found until a year after her death, when medical students opened her chest cavity.

Valle's daughter, Jeanne Clark, says her mother donated her body to the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in Rootstown, Ohio, because she hoped doctors would be able to learn more about the emphysema that killed her.

Last week, Clark filed suit against the Cleveland Clinic, her mother's doctor, Jeffrey Miller, and his practice. The lawsuit alleges the towel caused serious complications, additional medical bills and, ultimately, her death.

more...
http://www.thekcrachannel.com/health/3624718/detail.html

[Lavender Brown]

1. My God

That really freaks me out. :scared:

[spotbird]

2. Tort reform now!

There is no reason her surgeon should be held responsible for this, the towel probably kept her dry.

[Maddy McCall]

3. I agree, spotbird...

Physician accountability is a thing of the past, thanks to tort reform.

[Reverend_Smitty]

4. I had an anatomy professor that was paranoid about that sort of thing

whenever she had to preform surgery she had a checklist that she made the scrub nurses go through to make sure all equipment was accounted for before she would close up. It never made her any friends with the nursing staff, but then again she never left any unwanted items inside anybody.

[Heddi]

8. They do that at the hospital I work at

They call them 'Stop and Check'. The charge nurse, at the beginning of the surgery before any incision has been made, will make the Surgeon, Anesthesiologist, Residents, and Surg Tech say the name of the patient and the procedure. (that's the STOP part)

Then, numerous times throughout the surgery, she'll do a CHECK, and go to the surg tech (that's the person who keeps track of all the sutures & needles, and other instruments & towels and all that used) and will make the tech count how many hemos she has, how many needles, how many this, how many that, and then the charge nurse will count the used supplies (like lap pads and things like that) to see if they add up. If anything is missing and it's not in use, the surgery will stop and they'll have to locate the missing peice of equipment.

Also, when a new pack of suture needles & thread are opened, or a new pack of lap pads, or new towels are used, they're marked on a board in the room to keep track of how many were given vs. how many were given back.

I don't know if the Surgeons & nurses like doing this, but it's a process of checking and rechecking to keep incidents like the one outlined in the original thread from happening.

[Maddy McCall]

9. Heddi...don't I recall you being an OB?

Several days ago, I was trying to think of the name of the DUer who offered brilliant right-to-choose arguments several months back. Was it you?

(If so, I always appreciated your professional opinions. If not, sorry for the mistake.)

[Heddi]

11. no, not an OB, but I work in medicine...

I'm getting ready to start Nursing School in about a month, and currently I'm a phlebotomist (the person who draws your blood) and a Health Care Assistant (meaning that I'm licensed to draw blood). I work in Cancer Research, particularly ovarian & breast cancer research. I am interested in OB/GYN work and hope to work in that capacity once I get out of school.

I don't know if I'm the one you're thinking of, but thanks for your kinds words :)

[Maddy McCall]

12. Best wishes in your medical professional persuits...

You sound like you will be a compassionate doctor. :-)

[Semi_subversive]

5. How can something like this happen?

With all the people involved in a surgery, no one noticed this. Probably because it was on an old lady! And Bush and buds will call this another frivolous lawsuit.

Speaking of leaving things inside patients, I remember reading in National Lampoon True Facts many, many years ago that a women had a surgical procedure at Mercy San Juan Hospital (over on my side of Sacto) and they left some small instrument in her which made it impossible for her to fellate her husband without gagging. She wound up with a $150,000 award.

[Tummler]

6. Was it Towelie?

I bet he crawled in there when he was high.

[JohnKleeb]

7. dont forget to bring a towel

you wanna get high?

[Sequoia]

10. Towelie? No wonder I don't see him anymore.