Retained Surgical Devices
Charlotte Surgical Error Attorneys
Retained surgical items (RSIs) are any inadvertently left-behind items in a patient’s body following surgery; these are the most preventable of all medical errors.
A study in the Annals of Surgery reports that mistakes in tool and sponge counts occurs in 12.5% of surgeries. The Patient Safety Monitor Alert noted in 2003 that over 1,500 tools were left in patients each year. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Eastern Virginia Medical School reported that medical tools left behind during certain types of surgery may occur as often as once per 1,000 surgeries. Because RSI outcomes without “major permanent loss of function” are not required to be reported, an exact accounting of the problem is not possible. Accordingly, RSI estimates are undoubtedly low.
If you or someone you love suffered medical complications, injuries, or even death as a result of a retained surgical device, contact Charles G. Monnett III & Associates. Our Charlotte surgical error attorneys can help you seek fair compensation for your additional required medical treatment, lost income/wages, pain and suffering, disability, and more.
Your initial consultation is free! Call (704) 859-2003 or contact us online now to get started.
What Are Retained Surgical Items?
In a typical surgery, there may be dozens of surgical tools, instruments, and other items being used—the more tools/instruments used, the higher the risk that the surgery team will lose track of an item.
There are many different types of items that have been left behind during a surgery, including:
- Clamps
- Cryotomes and cutting laser guides
- Electrosurgical adapters
- Forceps
- Scalpels
- Scissors
- Sponges or laparotomy pads
- Suction tips and tubes
The single most common object left behind is a sponge.
Patients with RSIs often leave the hospital after surgery believing themselves to be on the road to recovery only to suffer debilitating pain, life-threatening infections, and other serious complications. The consequences of an RSI include injury, disability or death, additional surgeries, increased medical costs, and lost time from work.
How Our Firm Can Help
If you or a family member has sustained injuries due to an RSI, you may be entitled to financial compensation. You should not have to simply face the consequences of a surgeon’s negligent or wrongful actions on your own. Contact the experienced Charlotte surgical error lawyers at Charles G. Monnett III & Associates today for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your legal options and start building a case aimed at recovering the compensation you deserve.
Contact us today at (704) 859-2003 or by submitting an online contact form.

Testimonials
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Proven Record of Success
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$3 Million Cerebral Palsy
Confidential settlement for a child with cerebral palsy as a result of birth-related brain injury.
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$13 Million Medical Negligence Verdict
An infant suffered an undiagnosed case of bacterial meningitis that caused severe neurological damage.
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$8 Million Confidential Settlement
Confidential settlement for an infant with bilateral leg amputations following improper placement of the femoral line.
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$3.375 Million Failure to Diagnose
Confidential settlement on behalf of a child with severe visual impairments resulting from the failure to properly diagnose retinopathy of prematurity in a newborn child.
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$3 Million Negligent Administration of Nerve Block
Confidential settlement for a woman with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury as a result of negligent administration of nerve block for headache.