Clamp and surgical gauze left inside two surgery patients at Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital
Department of Health wants explanation for why it was not promptly notified about incidents as required by code of practice
A Hong Kong private hospital has been asked to explain why it failed to promptly notify the city’s health authorities about two incidents in which medical instruments and material were left inside patients after their procedures.
In the first case, a microvascular clamp was found inside a 63-year-old patient who had undergone an operation to remove part of his lower jaw at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital in Happy Valley on October 14 last year. The clamp was 1mm in diameter, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The error was discovered by hospital staff while they were doing an equipment count the same day, the Department of Health disclosed on Monday.
The department said the case was not reported by the hospital as required by the Code of Practice for Private Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Maternity Homes, but was detected by the authorities during a regular inspection on May 4.
In another event on May 5, gauze was left in a 36-year-old patient during surgery to repair her perineum after a vaginal delivery. Medical staff remained unaware of this until the material was found in blood clots passed out the following day.
The hospital reported this event on May 8, despite the code of practice requiring it to do so within 24 hours.