Surgical sponges left inside woman for at least 6 years

Two surgical sponges were left in a woman’s abdomen for at least six years, according to a new report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The unidentified 42-year-old went to a primary care clinic in Japan, saying she had experienced bloating for three years, according to the report, published Wednesday.

A CT scan of her abdomen showed two masses with strings attached to them. A surgical procedure called a laparotomy confirmed the presence of two gauze sponges that had become attached to the patient’s omentum — a fold of tissue that connects the stomach with other abdominal structures — and colon.

The authors concluded that the sponges were probably left after a cesarean section. The woman had had two cesarean sections — one six years earlier and one nine years earlier — but it is unclear which one resulted in the retained items. She did not have any other abdominal or pelvic surgeries, according Dr. Takeshi Kondo, a general medicine physician at Chiba University Hospital and a lead author of the report.

Source: fox43