Doctors Allegedly Leave Surgical Sponge Inside Woman's Stomach During C-Section, Victim Succumbs To Infection

A woman died after doctors allegedly left a surgical sponge inside her stomach during a cesarean delivery. The incident took place in Tamil Nadu, India, on Wednesday.

The victim, identified as 24-year-old Priya, had undergone a C-section at Virudhachalam Government Hospital on Dec. 27 and had given birth to a healthy baby girl. Two days later, she complained of severe stomach pain and was referred to JIMPER Hospital on Dec.31. Doctors learned that the woman had contracted a stomach infection which was caused by a sponge that was left inside her stomach during the surgery. She died at the hospital Wednesday night.

“The patient, while visiting the hospital on December 31, had severe infection and pus in the abdomen area. So we requested her relatives to file a medico-legal case before performing any procedure. Subsequently, she was operated upon and a surgical sponge was found in the stomach that might have been left during the cesarean. The patient died at 8 pm on Wednesday,” said a source from JIPMER management.

However, the doctors at Virudhachalam hospital said they will not take responsibility for Priya’s death as she was taken to another hospital where she died.

“We have asked for a detailed report from JIPMER and will take action accordingly. However, the patient requested that she be referred to JIPMER. On that day, she did not have any infection,” said Ramesh Babu, joint director of district health services.

Speaking about the case, Dr. P Raghu Ram, president of the Association of Surgeons of India, said, “Considering the seriousness of the problem, the association has been urging doctors to keep the patient on the operating table until they find all the missing sponges, even if it means emptying garbage cans and doing a recount."

He added that such miscounts could sometimes occur due to the chaotic emergency environments in the operating rooms.

Police were currently investigating the case and would initiate appropriate action after receiving an autopsy report from the hospital. Meanwhile, the relatives protested outside the hospital Thursday morning demanding action against the doctors.