In rare cases, stray tools found in surgery patients

Hartford Courant, April 22, 2009

The surgery was meant to take out the patient's gallbladder, but when the patient was sewn up a 13-inch medical instrument was left behind. Operating room staff typically count sponges, sharp objects and instruments three times during and after surgery, but in this case, which occurred in January at Hartford Hospital, the final instrument count took place before the patient's incision was fully closed. The case, cited in a report by Connecticut regulators, reflected a rare but potentially severe operating room occurrence: leaving objects in patients after surgery.