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Mercy Medical Center in Redding faces a $ 47,500 fine imposed by the California Department of Public Health after a surgical team has left a sponge in a patient's operating room that has contributed to his death in the fall of 2017. The name of the man was not revealed.
The fine, which according to the reports of Sacramento Bee concerns procedural violations, is the result of an immediate peril penalty.
The man underwent surgery on September 19, 2017 to remove the damaged blood vessels from the abdomen and groin. After the intervention, the surgical staff performed a sponge count and concluded that all the sponges used had been removed from the patient's body. However, 10 days later, the man died of cardiopulmonary arrest.
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A post mortem X-ray revealed that a small sponge had been left in the lower abdomen of the man. An autopsy later revealed that the death of the man had been caused by several factors, including peritonitis caused by the prolonged presence of the sponge in the patient's body.
Peritonitis was defined in the report as "inflammation of the tissue lining the inner lining of the abdomen and covers and supports most of your abdominal organs, usually caused by a bacterial infection".
Peritonitis, badociated with high blood pressure due to surgery and heart disease, has contributed to the death of man.
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A little more than a month later, on December 4, a hospital investigation revealed that a tear in the bag containing the sponges could have made a sponge count for two, leaving an unrecorded sponge.
"They were not following the process properly," says the report. "They have not always had the surgeon be part of the counting process."
The hospital issued a statement to the Bee Sac:
"Our deepest condolences go to this patient's family, care and patient safety are always our highest priorities, and we take this issue very seriously." This incident was not up to standard in which we stand. "
The hospital has implemented a "corrective action plan" that informs surgical teams, includes proficiency tests and an updated manual for the recovery of tools, including sponges, after surgery.
The Washington Post estimated that in 2010, such "preserved surgical items" had been left in patients once in 5,500 to 7,000 surgeries. In 2015, this number seemed to improve considerably. The Journal of the American Medical Association estimated in a study that surgical articles were left in patients once every 10,000 surgeries.
Alyssa Pereira is a staff writer for SFGATE. Email him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter at the address @alyspereira.
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