£5,270 for a patient who had a cannula tip left in his chest following surgery

Posted 25/11/2014

Ben Ward, a medical injury solicitor at Ashtons Legal, has obtained £5,270 in damages for Mr M, a 43 year old man, for the failure of doctors at his local hospital to identify and remove a cannula tip which was retained within his chest following liposuction surgery.

In 2008 Mr M underwent liposuction for bilateral gynaecomastia after losing six stone in weight which had left him with residual fatty tissue and excess skin in the chest. Following surgery Mr M was pleased with the result but noticed that his chest remained larger on the left hand side than the right. Further liposuction to the left side was therefore recommended and took place a year later.

In 2011 Mr M returned to hospital complaining of a foreign body in the left side of his chest which had gradually become more painful. He was able to move the foreign body with his finger so the outline was visible just below the skin. A chest x-ray was performed which confirmed his view and the object was suspected to be the end of a liposuction catheter. Excision surgery under general anaesthetic was performed shortly afterwards during which a 5cm length of cannula tip was removed.

Ben Ward comments “The hospital’s failure to remove the cannula tip was an extremely basic error which is worrying for patients. The retention of surgical material within the body following a surgery is a ‘never event.’ By its very nature it should never happen and provided surgical checklists are followed and completed diligently this type of error simply should not occur. As a result of the hospital’s negligence, Mr M had to take unpaid leave from his employment and had to undergo what was a completely avoidable and wholly unnecessary surgical procedure.”