Czech Doctors Left 12" Tool in Patient

(AP)  It took five long months for a Czech woman to discover the reason for her pain: Doctors had left a foot-long medical tool inside her abdomen.

This month, doctors at a clinic in the southeastern town of Ivancice discovered their colleagues had forgotten to remove a spatula-like surgical instrument from the woman following gynecological surgery in September.

Top regional official Michal Hasek apologized Zdenka Kopeckova, 66, and said Monday that the region, which is in charge of the clinic, plans to compensate her.

Clinic head Jaromir Hrubes blamed "a series of individual failures" and said four employees had been punished.

CT24 news television reported that the woman, who complained repeatedly to her doctors about the pain, plans to sue.

[california64]

Hilarious. If only it were uncommon...

[rwsmith29456]

The doctor should not have put his 12" tool in her in the first place.

[ToolMangler1]

"If one doctor doctors another doctor does the doctor who doctors the doctor, doctor the doctor the way the doctor he is doctoring doctors? Or does the doctor doctor the way the doctor who doctors doctors?"

[rational_1]

Sounds like the doctor was the true tool.

[rwsmith29456]

Doctor - "I've been looking for that!"

[AtLasOn1Kl733]

It should have not gotten unnoticed within a time span of at least 8 hrs. That is more than enough time to figure out if there are instruments missing if everyone in the OR/Sterile Processing Unit did their jobs properly and count their instruments. They would save themselves a lawsuit. Besides, it's not always the Surgeon's fault.

[RoboBlogger]

Spatula like instrument or a retractor? Don't they count their instruments over there 3x? Sounds like the Surg Tech/OR Nurse fault.

[presjfk]

Do you think that this has never happened in the USA? It has happened countless times, its just that these stories are kept under wraps by lawyers most of the time.