Six-figure payout for Kidderminster patient forceps blunder
A mother-of-four who was left with seven-inch forceps inside her for three months following an operation to remove her gallbladder has received a six-figure payout.
Donna Bowett, from Kidderminster, was in 'excruciating pain' following key-hole surgery at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch in February 2009. Doctors were unable to explain the 42-year-old's symptoms, which included weight loss.
The former nurse was referred for an MRI scan but this had to be aborted when she was screaming in pain due to the magnetic force from the machine pulling on the metal forceps inside her – but the error went unnoticed.
The blunder was eventually picked up on X-ray at A&E later that day. Doctors, who initially thought the forceps must have been in her nurse uniform pocket rather than inside her, sent her for emergency surgery to remove them.
Ms Bowett still suffers daily from the damage caused by the forceps with constant abdominal pains req-uiring daily high dose pain killers.
She also suffers with depression and nightmares and has been forced to step down from being a ward nurse in Worcester and now works for the NHS in an administration role. Ms Bowett said: "I couldn't believe the pain of the MRI scan.
"Doctors asked if I had any metal on me or in my body as the scanner uses magnets, but because I was completely unaware I said no. In reality the magnets were moving the forceps inside me and trying to pull them through my skin.
"I remember the nurse saying, 'don't worry Donna, the days of them leaving instruments inside patients are long gone'. It had never even crossed my mind."
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, has now admitted they were at fault for the error. A spokeswoman said: "The Trust is deeply sorry for the distress and harm caused to Donna Bowett and would like to apologise unreservedly to her."
