New Zealand woman discovers surgical instrument ‘size of a dinner plate’ left in her body after operation

Following initial investigations into the case, Te Whatu Ora Auckland, formerly Auckland District Health Board, claimed it had not failed to exercise reasonable skill and care towards the patient, who was in her 20s.

???

"We always leave instruments inside patients body. This is just what we do, that's not any measure of failure. Fuck off."

** Surgeon slaps the body **

"You can fit a whole dinner plate worth of instruments in here."

This is the best summary I could come up with:

A woman who suffered chronic pain for 18 months after undergoing a caesarean section was found to have a surgical instrument the size of a dinner plate inside her abdomen.

But on Monday, New Zealand’s Health and Disability Commissioner, Morag McDowell, found Te Whatu Ora Auckland in breach of the code of patient rights.

“There is substantial precedent to infer that when a foreign object is left inside a patient during an operation, the care fell below the appropriate standard,” states McDowell’s report.

The commissioner acknowledged that theatre staff involved in the surgery were genuinely concerned and apologetic upon hearing of the woman’s experience, but was scathing in her response to Te Whatu Ora’s claims.

“Te Whatu Ora pointed to a lack of expert evidence to support the conclusion that [the code] had been breached and referenced known error rates,” McDowell wrote.

“However, I have little difficulty concluding that the retention of a surgical instrument in a person’s body falls well below the expected standard of care – and I do not consider it necessary to have specific expert advice to assist me in reaching that conclusion.”

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