A hospital in Sydney launched an investigation after they found a needle left inpatient after surgery during a routine c-section.
First-time mum Thi Nguyen, did not understand why she was in such excruciating pain after the birth of her son at Fairfield Hospital in September 2017. Even though pain after a C-section is normal, this was extremely painful.
After a thorough check, doctors discovered a needle had been left in the 19-year-old mum following her son’s delivery.
Needle Left in Patient After Surgery: New Mum Goes Under the Knife a Second Time
Thi Nguyen’s baby. Source | Channel 9 News screengrab
Left with no choice, the new mum had to go back under the knife to have it removed from her uterus via surgery. But the lack of communication on the hospital’s part left her husband with no details regarding her second surgery, so soon after her C-section.
Family and friends came to see the new mum and her baby, but ended up waiting for a very long time. Nobody informed them that Nguyen was actually having another surgery to extract the stray needle.
Worried, her husband, Steven Nguyen, had to ask the hospital reception for updates about his wife’s condition. Shockingly, he didn’t learn about her second surgery to remove the needle until hours later.
“No One Told Me Anything”
Worried dad Steven Nguyen | Source: Channel 9 News
Fairfield Hospital’s Chief Executive and Director of Medical Services Amanda Larkin has come forward to apologise for what happened. She also confirmed that there was indeed a needle left inpatient after surgery.
During the second surgery, doctors successfully removed the needle from the young mum’s uterus. They also found that the incident was due to a faulty product (the needle), rather than a clinician error.
C-Section Delivery Is Generally Safe
Even though a C-section is a surgical delivery of a baby, it is generally considered safe. C-sections are usually performed to help mums avoid the risk of complications during delivery.
Accidents due to faulty equipment and human error can also happen but are very rare. So despite this huge scare, it shouldn’t put you off choosing to do a caesarean delivery if you so wish. Extra precautions are always taken to ensure the safety of both the mum and the baby.
Although it is true that delivering a baby surgically carries more risks than vaginal births, C-section deliveries can be a lifesaver in an emergency.
*This article is from our archives.
Source: News.com.au, KidsHealth
Read also: Broken epidural needle found in mum’s spine 14 years later
Feature and Lead image screengrabbed from Channel 9 News