Record number of 'foreign objects' left inside patients after surgical blunders

A record number of "foreign objects" have been left inside patients' bodies after surgery, new data reveals.

Incidents analysed by the PA news agency showed it happened a total of 291 times in 2021/22.

Swabs and gauzes used during surgery or a procedure are one of the most common items left inside a patient, but surgical tools such as scalpels and drill bits have been found in some rare cases.

A woman from east London described how she "lost hope" after part of a surgical blade was left inside her following an operation to remove her ovaries in 2016.

The 49-year-old, who spoke to PA on condition of anonymity, said: "When I woke up, I felt something in my belly.

"The knife they used to cut me broke, and they left a part in my belly."

She added: "I was weak, I lost so much blood, I was in pain, all I could do was cry."

The object was left inside her for five days, leading to an additional two-week hospital stay.

Commenting on the analysis, Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: "Never events are called that because they are serious incidents that are entirely preventable because the hospital or clinic has systems in place to prevent them happening.

"When they occur, the serious physical and psychological effects they cause can stay with a patient for the rest of their lives, and that should never happen to anyone who seeks treatment from the NHS.

"While we fully appreciate the crisis facing the NHS, never events simply should not occur if the preventative measures are implemented."

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Source: Sky News, 4 January 2022