Teen battling for life after doctors leave scissors inside abdomen during botched surgery

A teen is battling for her life after doctors accidentally left a pair of scissors inside her abdomen during a surgery she underwent last year. Though the foreign object has been removed from her stomach following another surgery last Saturday, her condition remains critical.

Doctors said 18-year-old Monira Khatun, hailing from the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, underwent surgery on March 3, 2020, for a stomach ailment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, reported Dhaka Tribune.

However, she never fully recovered from her illness and began to experience frequent bouts of stomach pain. Amid this, Khatun got married. She soon fell pregnant but had a miscarriage. After her health condition worsened, her husband sent her back home, reported Bangla Tribune.

Khatun's family took her to several doctors, who prescribed pain killers. However, a CT scan performed Wednesday at a private clinic revealed that a foreign object was stuck inside her abdomen. Following this, she was rushed back to the same hospital where she underwent the surgery last year.

"She had come to the hospital in a bad condition on Friday. We have successfully removed the pair of scissors after a three-hour-long surgery. She has developed gangrene in her stomach," senior surgeon Dr. Ratan Kumar Saha said.

Doctors said that although Khatun regained consciousness, she isn't stable yet. The hospital will keep her under close observation for 72 hours.

After the negligence of the doctors who carried out the first surgery came to light, the family of Khatun has decided to seek legal action. They have filed a police complaint against the doctors and hospital.

According to a senior police official, Khatun's case did come to his attention, and he had arranged for her immediate hospitalization. He said strict action will be taken after the family files a formal complaint.

The hospital has also decided to investigate the issue. Saifur Rahman, director of BSMMU Hospital, told the news outlet that a committee will be formed to look into her case.

A similar case was reported a few months ago in India wherein a woman died after doctors accidentally left a piece of cotton inside her body during a cesarean section performed 18 months ago.

Chintala Mamatha, 20, from the southern state of Telangana, died following a year-long battle with infection caused by the material that remained undetected inside her abdomen. She had delivered her second child, a stillborn, days before she died, said reports.