Wednesday, July 20, 2011

S.C. Court Upholds $250K Retained Sponge Verdict: #nursing Breaking News in #Surgery > July, 2011 >

A South Carolina hospital has lost its bid to overturn a $250,000 malpractice verdict awarded to a patient who suffered pain, discomfort and an embarrassing odor from a sponge left inside her vagina after hysterectomy surgery.

AnMed Health had admitted liability in the case of Elise Burke, 73, who underwent an abdominal hysterectomy at the hospital on March 22, 2005. According to court documents, a pre-operative nurse mistakenly left a cleansing sponge in Ms. Burke's vagina, which went undetected during the surgery.

After the procedure, Ms. Burke felt increasing pain, discolored vaginal discharge and an offensive odor that she and her family argued had caused her emotional distress. Over a 2-month period, she raised these concerns with her doctor and sought medical assistance 6 times, according to court documents and testimony.

Please click on the "VIA" link to read the full article:

See also:

May 23, 1999: Sponge Count Off, Patient Develops Sepsis, Surgeon Blames Nurse.
Sponge Counts are a basic and critical safety measure during a surgical operation. In this case, the standard three counts were not performed. A sponge was left in the patient that would later lead to infection. When the issue went to court, the surgeon claimed "it was not his responsibility" to keep track of the sponges.
Johnston v. Southwest Louisiana Assn. 693 So. 2d 1195 –LA (1997)
http://www.nursefriendly.com/nursing/clinical.cases/052399.htm

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