Surgical Item Left Inside Missouri Woman’s Body

Retained “Endobag” at the center of ongoing medical malpractice suit

St. Louis, MO (May 15, 2013) – A 45-year-old Missouri woman has filed suit against a St. Louis-based hospital and doctor because of life-threatening complications that arose after she underwent what was promised to be a minimally invasive, low-risk laparoscopic procedure in January 2012.

The woman claims that her gynecologic oncologist negligently left behind a surgical item inside of her body after performing an oophorectomy, a procedure to remove one of her ovaries. St. Louis-based personal injury attorney Spencer Farris, of the S.E. Farris Law Firm, is representing the plaintiff in this pending medical malpractice case.

“Our client placed her life in her doctor’s hands and entrusted her wellbeing to this hospital, and, through negligent actions, they jeopardized both,” said attorney Farris.

During her postoperative recovery, the woman began to experience severe abdominal pain and sustained bleeding. Upon further examination, it was discovered by her doctors that a foreign item inside the woman’s body was causing her symptoms.

The item in question was a broken piece of an “endobag” – a net-like sac or bag that is used to facilitate the removal of body tissue during laparoscopic procedures.

Objects inadvertently left inside a patient’s body after surgery are officially referred to as “retained surgical items.” Retained surgical items are a surprisingly common occurrence and, amongst other complications, can lead to the development of uncontrolled infection, severe pain, sepsis, perforation of organs, and death.

In a 2012 study conducted by Johns Hopkins University, patient safety researchers found that a surgeon in the United States can leave behind a foreign object inside a patient’s body up to 39 times a week. The most common retained surgical items are sponges and towels, but items like forceps, scalpels, clamps, and other instruments used during surgery, have been found and reported.

“Our client underwent, what should have been, a low-risk operation and is now facing a lifetime of complications because of negligent actions,” said Farris. “There are standards and practices in place to ensure that these mistakes don’t happen. We want the hospital and doctor to be held accountable for not upholding these standards so that another innocent patient isn’t unnecessarily injured or killed in the future.”

Traditional prevention methods typically include a pre- and postoperative manual count of items used in a given procedure, but this system is easily prone to human error. Newer, more precise methods use radio-frequency identification to track surgical items and can scan for objects that may have been left behind in a patient’s body.

“The outcome of this case won’t improve my client’s prognosis or restore her trust in the medical community, but it may very well save future lives. That alone is reason enough for us to pursue this case,” said Farris.

Even though doctors have removed the retained endobag fragment from the woman’s body, she is expected to suffer permanent, progressive, and disabling injuries, according to a court petition.

Founded by Spencer E. Farris in 2001, The S.E. Farris Law Firm is a St. Louis-based practice that specializes in providing legal representation for injury victims and their families in Missouri and Illinois. The firm is experienced in successfully resolving cases for injury victims involving defective products, auto injuries, work-related injuries, wrongful deaths, medical malpractice, discrimination, and more.

Spencer E. Farris is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, a Missouri-Kansas Super Lawyer since 2005, and has been selected as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Missouri by The National Trial Lawyers Association and the American Society of Legal Advocates. Farris is also a member of The Justice Roundtable, The American Association for Justice, and numerous other organizations.

With the most recent successes of the firm, Farris has opened a new location in Sullivan, Missouri, where meetings with attorneys are by appointment only.

For more information about Spencer E. Farris, Attorney or The S.E. Farris Law Firm, visit www.FarrisLaw.net or call 314.252.9937.

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About The S.E. Farris Law Firm:

Located in St. Louis, Missouri, The S.E. Farris Law firm focuses is on the needs of injury victims, so clients benefit from: our decades of experience with the complexities of personal injury law, our expertise and solid track record preparing for, and presenting, in court, and our knowledge of the legal procedures and technicalities necessary to win cases. For more information, visit www.FarrisLaw.com or call 314.252.9937.