One certainly wouldn’t expect to wake up from an operation only to discover that their doctor forgot to remove all of the surgical instruments from their body. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to a woman who underwent surgery at Emory University Hospital back on December 17, 2014 “for a kidney and pancreatic transplant.” According to a lawsuit, she filed against the hospital, Lacrystal Lockett’s doctors “left a camera in her body during” her organ transplant.
When someone undergoes a surgery, they do so with the expectation that, when they wake up, they will be informed that everything went off without a hitch. At least that’s what many people hope for. One certainly wouldn’t expect to wake up from an operation only to discover that their doctor forgot to remove all of the surgical instruments from their body. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to a woman who underwent surgery at Emory University Hospital back on December 17, 2014 “for a kidney and pancreatic transplant.” According to a lawsuit she filed against the hospital, Lacrystal Lockett’s doctors “left a camera in her body during” her organ transplant.
So who were the doctors that operated on Lockett, and how did they forget to remove the camera from her body at the end of the surgery? For starters, the doctors who operated on her were Dr. Paul Lu Tso, Dr. Ronald Parsons, and Dr. Denise J. Lo. According to the lawsuit, the three doctors “performed the procedure with the assistance of a medical camera.” It’s important to note that the camera wasn’t found before Lockett was discharged from the hospital. As her lawyers claim, “unbeknownst to Ms. Lockett at the time, this medical instrument was left inside Ms. Lockett even after she was discharged from Emory University Hospital on December 26, 2014.” So how long was the camera left in her body? A month? Two months? It turns out, the device was left in her body for nearly six months when it was found in her torso “during an exam at the hospital” the following June.
As a result, Lockett, who already has a long history of medical issues, had to undergo another surgery to have the camera removed. Understandably, she was upset about the entire situation, especially considering the fact that she already suffers from a number of health issues, including Type 1 Diabetes. So, she decided to sue Emory University Hospital. According to the lawsuit, “as a result of Defendants’ negligence, Plaintiff Lacrystal Lockett suffered undue hardship through additional surgical procedures and has incurred medical expenses as well as significant pain and suffering, future pain and suffering, and lost wages.” At the moment, “Lockett is asking for a jury to determine how much she’s owed.”
The lawsuit itself was filed in DeKalb County State Court this week late last month. So far, the hospital has yet to respond to a request for comment.
Sources:
Woman says doctors left camera in her body after surgery
Woman Sues Hospital After Frightening Discovery of Camera Left Inside Her During Surgery
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