U.S. Army vet sues Veterans Affairs Hospital over scalpel left in body after surgery four years earlier

In this stock photo, a surgeon holds a scalpel during a procedure.Getty Images

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — An Army veteran is suing a Veterans Affairs Hospital in Connecticut after he says someone left a scalpel inside him after surgery, and it was only discovered years later, after he suffered from long-term abdominal pain.

Glenford Turner, of Bridgeport, sued the VA in U.S. District Court last week.

According to court papers, Turner had surgery at the VA hospital in West Haven in 2013.

Nearly four years later, he went back to the VA with dizziness and severe abdominal pain. An X-Ray showed there was a scalpel inside his body.

Turner had to undergo surgery to remove the instrument, and his lawyer, Joel Faxon, says doctors confirmed it was the same scalpel.

Faxon calls it “an incomprehensible level of incompetence.”

The VA did not immediately return messages Monday.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.