Florida Woman Gets Needle Stuck In Her, Files Medical Malpractice Suit

Of all the uncomfortable objects you can have stuck inside your body, a needle would probably take the cake. How would you like to live with one inside your body for nearly 15 years? Unfortunately, that’s the situation for a Florida woman who received an epidural while delivering her youngest son in 2003. She is now filing a medical malpractice lawsuit against the federal government.

The woman delivered her baby at Naval Hospital in Jacksonville in September 2003. Since then, she has experienced chronic back pain. The pain would travel down the left leg and into her calf and foot. Doctors told her she had sciatica. However, when she sought a second opinion from a different hospital, X-rays showed that part of a needle was lodged into her spine.

The woman’s medical records showed that she had an unsuccessful spinal needle attempt in September 2003, when she was given the epidural. However, medical staff did not tell her that a 3 cm portion of the needle was stuck inside her body.

Surgery will be extremely risky at this point. Therefore, the woman will likely have to live with the pain from the needle for the rest of her life. She says the pain is getting worse.

The woman and her lawyer have filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the federal government. She is alleging fraud and negligent concealment in her lawsuit. A judge will determine if she is eligible to receive compensation for any damages.

Foreign Objects Inside Patients

It’s not uncommon for surgeons and medical staff to leave foreign objects inside patients during medical procedures. However, this situation tends to happen most frequently during abdominal surgeries. This happens at a rate of 1 per 1,000 surgeries.

The most common objects left inside patient’s body are surgical sponges and instruments. This happens when medical staff are disorganized and lack communication.

In many cases, hospitals and doctors are unaware that a foreign object has been left inside a patient until the patient complains of pain or discomfort. X-rays typically reveal the cause of the pain.

Broken needles are uncommon. If the medical staff knew that a piece of the needle had broken off, they should have taken the appropriate steps to remove the needle. Surgery could have been performed to remove the broken piece. However, the evidence was hidden for so many years and now surgery is not a possibility. The woman will likely spend the rest of her life in pain due to a doctor’s negligent actions.

Get Help for Your Medical Malpractice Case

Doctors have a duty to perform high standards of care on patients. While doctors do something leave surgical instruments inside patients, there is no excuse for this, especially when something sharp and painful as a needle is involved.

If you have experienced serious pain after a medical procedure, it’s important to get the situation checked out. You may be a victim of medical malpractice. The Dade City medical malpractice attorneys at Madonna Law Group can help fight your case. We can help you recover compensation for your damages. Contact us at (800) 557-0411 to schedule a consultation.

Resources:

wfla.com/news/florida/woman-says-florida-hospital-left-needle-in-her-spine-for-14-years/1073762541

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5320916/