Sponges, drainage tubes and other medical implements are being left inside patients after surgery - with some not finding out until years later
- A sponge was left inside a patient after surgery, and wasn't found for 18 months
- Drainage tubes and other medical devices were also left inside people after ops
- A quarter of objects forgotten inside patients were discovered straight away
A sponge forgotten inside a Victorian patient who underwent surgery in a public hospital was undetected for 18 months, new research shows.
The study looked at several cases where objects were left inside people, and found that one in six of them were not discovered for more than six months.
The analysis conducted by Macquarie University, however, concluded that almost one quarter of the objects forgotten were discovered on the day of the procedure.
A sponge forgotten inside a Victorian patient who underwent surgery in a public hospital was undetected for 18 months, new research shows (file picture)
Sponges, drain tubes and vascular devices represented around two thirds of the foreign bodies left within Victorian patients.
'These foreign bodies can cause pain, loss of function and infections,' leading researcher Professor Peter Hibbert said.
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'Left in for an extended time, people did re-present to emergency with serious pain and they had to be re-operated on.'
Mr Hibbert said the Victorian numbers were similar to most developed health systems around the world.
The study looked at 31 incidents occurred between 2010 and 2015.
