Object the size of a 'dinner plate' found inside woman's stomach months after cesarean birth

What should have been a time of physical recovery after undergoing a cesarian surgery, ended up being a time of pain, discomfort and confusion for one woman in New Zealand, and for pretty disturbing reasons. As reported by CNN, a surgical tool the size of a dinner plate was found inside her abdomen.

Although doctors have found unusual object or shocking organisms living inside people's bodies or in one case, even found a luminous object in a patient's neither region, the current case is quiet incendiary due to the ways in which the medical system failed to uphold the patient's rights and interest.

Surgical device left inside woman for months

The New Zealand’s Health and Disability Commissioner reported on the case, informing that the woman had undergone a cesarian section 18 months earlier.

Once she delivered her baby, she continued to suffer from chronic pain. Months of doctor visits and checkups followed, which even included X-rays. Doctors just couldn't determine what was wrong. Finally when the pain was so severe that she had to be rushed to the hospital’s emergency department, an abdominal CT scan showed what was really causing her severe pain.

Doctors found that the woman's stomach contained an Alexis retractor, or AWR, which is a surgical device which is retractable and cylindrical, with a translucent film. It is used to draw back the edges of a wound during surgery.

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Doctors left huge surgical device inside woman

These devices aren't small: in fact, they can be 6 inches in diameter! Turns out, the Alexis retractor was left inside her body from her cesarian surgery in Auckland City Hospital in 2020. The device was finally extracted following the CT scan in 2021, 18 months later!

New Zealand’s Health and Disability Commissioner, Morag McDowell, found that Te Whatu Ora Auckland – the Auckland District Health Board, has breached the code of patient rights. McDowell is quoted by CNN as saying,

As set out in my report, the care fell significantly below the appropriate standard in this case and resulted in a prolonged period of distress for the woman.

Systems should have been in place to prevent this from occurring.

The hospital responsible for the medical mistake has apologised to the patient for what happened, acknowledging the impact their misconduct has had on the woman and her family.

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Sources used:

CNN: '‘Dinner plate sized’ device found inside woman’s abdomen 18 months after cesarean birth'