Adam, a 55 year-old male is admitted to your hospital for an elective removal of his spleen.
The nurses, operating surgeon and anesthesiologist are all employed by the hospital, which
is self-insured for professional liability. The procedure is technically challenging due to the
patient's obesity but appears to go smoothly.
Adam is discharged after 3 days and has mild, persistent abdominal pain. The medical team
attributes the pain to the surgical incision. When Adam returns for his 2-week post-operative
check at the surgeon's office, he reports increasing abdominal pain and a 3-day history of a
low-grade fever.
An X-ray of the abdomen reveals a surgical sponge. Adam undergoes another surgely to
remove the sponge, at which time an abdominal infection is discovered. The surgery is
performed by a different surgical team at the same hospital. Treatment of the abdominal
infection requires a 4-day stay in the hospital followed by a 3-week course of intravenous
antibiotics at home. Adam, who is employed as an architect, misses a total of 8 weeks of
work.
The root cause analysis reveals that the sponge counts took place before and after the
surgical procedure, and correct counts were documented. The patient's physical make-up
was considered to be a causative factor.
In the space below, write in your own words exactly what you would say to Adam and
his family.
