Weird Story

[inhonurofswa]

A clinic in Cleveland, a few hours away from me, has a weird story going on. Awoman had some kind of lung surgery, and a doctor left a sugerical towel inside her. She died after she went home and there is going to be a trial to see if the towel was what killed her or her lung condition or something not even close to that. I thought that was the weirdest thing I have ever heard of.

Taylor

[Keith_Hixson]

January 17, 2007

The Cleveland Clinic and a doctor went on trial Tuesday for leaving a towel inside a woman when she had lung surgery.
The woman's family says that's what caused her death nearly five years ago.

Channel 3's Barbara Gauthier found such mistakes do happen, despite efforts to prevent them.

Judge Nancy Russo started the process Tuesday of choosing the men and women who will decide if the Cleveland Clinic and Doctor Jeffrey Miller are to blame for Bonnie Valle's death.

Her family filed a civil suit after doctors examining her body after her death found a towel behind her lung, left behind from the 1995 surgery.

"To leave a foreign object in after surgery is probably more common than people think," said Cleveland attorney Charles Kampinski who has handled hundreds of medical malpractice cases.

The Centers for Disease Control says in the past few years some 15,000 patients nationwide have had surgical instruments left inside them.

"In a perfect world this wouldn't happen, the world is not perfect and this does happen," said the Chairman of surgery at University Hospitals. Dr. Jeffrey Ponsky says health officials are always looking for ways to keep it from happening. Operating nurses use checklists to keep track of all instruments used in surgery - but even that's not foolproof.

"The bottom line is, that this is something we don't want to happen, we recognize that it can happen and we work constantly to improve our system to make sure it doesn't happen," said Dr. Ponsky.

Although cases like this one can cause concern Dr. Ponsky reminds patients that mistakes are the exception and not the rule.

"I think you have to trust your physician and go to an institution, and all of them in our city are great. You have to trust the institution has built in systems to protect you." Said Ponsky.

The Cleveland Clinic would not comment on the case of Bonnie Valle, since it is now in trial.
The trial is expected to take several weeks.

? 2007 WKYC-TV



Now that was weird, However if you hang around the Old Geezers on this site, that story will seem mild after awhile.
When Bob K., Paco, and Andy got going with their weird cop and medic stories then things really got weird. (Boy I miss Andy)
Whatever killed her, there will be some pretty steep malpractice litigation. The trial is about how much they will be getting. It looks like a civil trial. Forceps and bandages are occassionally left in a wound.
Come to think about it. I wonder if Bob K. ever had surgery and they left something behind in him. [Bob I'm trying to get a reaction from you]

Keith

[39mto39g]

Taylor
Why do you think that is a weird story?
The cause of death is determined by an autopsy not a trial. Trial establishes malpractice or not. What was more likely left in her was a surgical sponge not a towel, the towel is on the tray that holds the instruments , sponges go inside the patient to soak up blood, Drs nowadays count the sponges before and after for this reason. Living with a sponge inside of you is not nice but its not life threatening either. cause of death would most likely be her lung problem.

Ron