Surgeon left towel in man
2001-03-16 15:29
Houston - A man suffering from colon cancer received $400 000 (about R3.2 million) in a
lawsuit settlement with a doctor who stitched him up after surgery
but left a towel in his abdomen.
William R Miller Jr complained of pain after the operation at the
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre in 1999. Doctors
waited 73 days before they performed exploratory surgery and found
the towel wrapped around his small intestine.
Miller, 70, settled the medical malpractice suit against Dr John
Skibber before it went to trial this week.
Ben Martin, a Dallas lawyer representing Miller, said the $400 000 settlement was fair, given a section of Miller's small
intestine was damaged by the towel and had to be removed during the
surgery.
"It was a very unfortunate mistake," the doctor's lawyer, Frank
Doyle, said. "Dr Skibber was very apologetic."
As a standard procedure, the towel had been wrapped around the
small intestine to keep it away from the colon during surgery.- Sapa-AP
/shob
- SAPA