In New Zealand, surgeons left a 17-centimeter instrument in a woman's body

A forgotten surgical instrument was removed from the body of a New Zealand woman a year and a half after giving birth. Morag McDowell, a representative of the regulatory body of the New Zealand Ministry of Health, told reporters that in 2020, surgeons forgot a 17-centimeter plastic retractor in a woman's stomach after a caesarean section. In 2021, he went to the emergency department complaining of pain. A CT scan of the peritoneum was ordered and a foreign body was found in it. It turned out that the retractor was forgotten because it was not included in the list of tools for the pre-arranged operation. The surgeon saw that the instrument on the list was too small and decided to use it during the operation. The doctors apologized to the patient in writing. It is not yet known what punishment will be applied to them.