The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

The actual incidence of surgeons mistakenly leaving foreign bodies inside the patient is unknown, but estimates are as frequently as one out of every one hundred patients to one out of every five thousand patients. Whatever the true number, it happens too frequently and is a serious problem.

Surgical teams have been known to leave surgical sponges, pins, blades, clips, gauze, cotton and other medical instruments in the patient's body due to outright recklessness and negligence. When left in the human body retained foreign bodies damage tissues, blood vessels and organs and can cause life-threatening infections and damage that can in turn lead to life-long disability or even death.

The physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists and the entire surgical team can be held liable for medical malpractice and negligence if this type of preventable occurrence takes place. Many times this situation goes unresolved for a period of time while the patient's condition continues to deteriorate for what appears to be unknown reasons.

If you or someone you love has been injured or died because of a foreign body left in the surgical site, or even if you only suspect this is what happened, please contact the San Jose, California office of The Cochran Firm today to speak with an experienced medical malpractice attorney at no cost to you to help you decide what course of action you should take to hold the responsible parties legally liable.

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