Surgical instrument found in woman’s abdomen five years after surgery in Kerala; inquiry launched

Kochi: An artery forceps was found inside the abdomen of a Punnapra native, five years after she underwent surgery at Alappuzha Medical College in Vandanam, relatives said on Friday.

Usha Joseph was shifted to a private hospital in Kochi on Friday to undergo a procedure to remove the surgical instrument.

According to relatives, Joseph underwent surgery for the removal of a uterine fibroid at the medical college on May 2021.

However, after the surgery, she had been suffering from recurring abdominal pain, her son Shibin told reporters.

Though she approached doctors at the same hospital multiple times, the cause of the pain was not identified, he alleged.

Recently, Joseph consulted a doctor, suspecting that the pain was due to a kidney stone, who advised an X-ray examination, he said.

Shibin said the X-ray reportedly showed an artery forceps, after which doctors at the medical college offered to remove it next week.

“However, we do not want any further issues and moved to a private hospital. The doctors here will scan and locate the exact position and will perform the surgery soon,” Shibin said.

He said the family wants the instrument to be removed from his mother’s body at the earliest and alleged that doctors at the medical college had said no compensation would be paid for the error.

“The doctors at the medical college told us that we can lodge a complaint if we want to. We have now decided to file a complaint at the Ambalapuzha police station,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Lalithambika, a retired surgeon at Alappuzha Medical College, against whom the family had raised allegations of surgical error, told reporters that she did not perform the surgery.

“The surgery happened just before my retirement, when I was not attending any major cases. As the unit chief, my name was recorded. Also, the surgery happened during the COVID period, and I was engaged with it,” she said.

She also denied allegations that she took money from patients before surgery.

“I did not take any money from patients for any surgery. You can ask any patient I attended,” she said.

She said it was not a scissor but a mosquito forceps of very small size that was seen in Joseph’s body.

“It is a magnified view in the X-ray. A mosquito is a small surgical tool used to clamp small blood vessels. No doubt that it should not happen,” she said.

She attributed the error to a system failure in a government hospital.

“Usually, the floor nurse should write down the instruments used for surgery on a board and count them when the procedure is completed. However, in government hospitals, there are no floor nurses and no such practice is followed,” she said.

Lalithambika said Joseph had undergone surgery earlier as well and it needs to be examined whether the instrument remained in the body from that procedure.

“This instrument can remain in the body for as long as 20 to 30 years,” she said.

Health Minister Veena George said officials who were part of the surgery and are currently in government service will be suspended as part of the inquiry.

According to her, a preliminary inquiry was conducted into the matter and a report was submitted to the Director of Medical Education (DME).

“It is a painful incident that should not have happened. Based on the preliminary inquiry report, the DME has formed an expert committee comprising senior doctors to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident,” she said.

She said expert doctors from Kottayam and Thiruvananthapuram Medical Colleges have been deputed to Alappuzha Medical College as part of the inquiry.

“The team is expected to give a detailed report soon. Based on the report, all legal steps will be taken without any leniency. The report will also be forwarded to the police for legal proceedings,” she said.

George said she had spoken to Joseph’s family, who also told her about consulting the concerned doctor at her residence.

“As part of the inquiry, it will also be checked whether such a consultation has happened. The allegation by the family shows that after availing non-practising allowance, they are engaged in medical practice at home,” she said.

Responding to Dr Lalithambika’s remarks about system failure at government medical colleges, the minister denied the allegation.

“It is a guideline of the WHO that is followed by all hospitals. Government hospitals are operating in accordance with all the guidelines. It is easy to put the blame on the system,” she said.

George said the claim made by Dr Lalithambika itself amounts to a violation of norms.

“How can a surgery be conducted without a scrub nurse? If such a surgery were to happen, that itself would be a violation. The doctor claimed that she does not remember the patient but is sure she would not conduct the surgery. This itself is suspicious,” George said.

She said such errors would not be tolerated, recalling that a similar incident was reported in 2017.

George said doctors cannot trivialise the incident by claiming that such equipment can remain in the body for a long time.

“A medical board will also be constituted as it happened a few years back, and currently she is admitted to a private hospital,” she added.