Woman leaves surgical forceps forgotten in her abdomen for 3 months

Érica Cristina Bannai Von Hoonholtz said that the surgical object remained in the abdomen for three months, having only been discovered in April. X-ray images showed a "kelly clamp", which is similar to scissors, in the woman's body.

"I arrived from the hospital distraught with pain. They medicated me, but it didn't go away. It didn't stop the vomiting, it didn't stop the pain. A lot of pain, it was desperate. It felt like there was something wanting to come out of me," she said.

Érica Cristina said that on April 11th she was taken to the hospital by emergency, where she would end up undergoing a new surgery. During the intervention, doctors found the forceps and realized that part of the small intestine was dead.

The woman explained that, in total, she underwent four surgeries: the first was a hysterectomy, the removal of the "Kelly clamp", another to correct a hernia and drain the intestinal abscess and, finally, surgery to treat the liver abscess.

It is worth noting that, according to her, after the incident, the hospital recognized the situation and offered medical assistance, and the hospital began financing Érica's consultations.

"They are supporting me with everything related to scissors. Any pain I feel, I go there and they help me. My children are also receiving psychological support," he said.

Érica stated that, two days after the clamp was removed, the lawyers for the doctor responsible for the surgery got in touch to propose a settlement. However, the talks would not have continued. It also revealed that the hospital unit tried to broker a meeting between the woman and the doctor's representatives, but the negotiations did not continue at Érica's wishes.

He also added that the doctor tried, before and after the hysterectomy, for Érica to perform cosmetic surgery to remove excess skin and abdominal fat for a private payment of 8.5 thousand reais.

Érica's case is also being investigated in criminal courts, with the process ongoing.

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Bragança Paulista stated in a statement that "in compliance with the duty of care secrecy, patient privacy and personal data protection legislation", it would not speak publicly about specific cases. However, he pointed out that he was "available to the competent authorities, through official channels, to provide appropriate clarifications".