SWAB LEFT IN BODY

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 145, 21 June 1934, Page 6

SWAB LEFT IN BODY

DOCTOR EXONERATED

OPERATION AT. SEA

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, June 20,

A post-mortem disclosure of a swab in the body of the deceased was reported at an inquest held by Mr. P. K. Hunt, S.M., into the death of John Gillies, aged 26, a single man, assistant steward on the Monowai, who underwent an operation for appendicitis on the- vessel on June 9, and who died in Auckland Hospital on June 15.

At the opening of the inquest, Mr. Gray, who represented the ship's doctor and tho Union Company, asked that the proceedings be taken in camera, as he considered no good purpose could be gained by publicity^, but the Coroner declined to agree. '

Robert James Boyd said that he was ship's surgeon on the Monowai. On June {) the deceased was suffering from acute peritonitis arising from chronic appendicitis, and ho was operated on early, in the afternoon. The anaesthetic, which was at first chloroform and later ether, was administered by the chief officer, Mr. Thomas William. White, and a steward was assisting generally. Tho patient was in a very bad condition. ■ ,

"During the operation the patient appeared to be sinkings and I had to leave him. to get a hypodermic charged with adrenalin," witness continued. "He seemed to recover, and so I told the anaesthetist to continue with the anaesthetic. I have since heard that a swab was found in the- deceased. If that was so, it must have slipped in while I was getting the hypodermic, because I laid a swab over the wound while I went to get it. The swab would be made of lint and might be 2 Jin by 3iin, or even 3in by sin. I do not know how many swabs I used. The steward, who had assisted at three previous similar operations, prepared them. I asked the steward how many swabs there' were, but he said he did not know, and we" could not wait as the patient was in such a bad condition. The patient at no time made any real progress towards recovery, and I did not expect him to "recover." WIDESPREAD INFLAMMATION. Witness added that the inflammatory condition of the peritoneum was too widespread. . The presence of the swab would have done him no immediate harm. Later on, if he had recovered from the serious condition brought about by peritonitis, the swab might have made its presence apparent und would then have been removed. , Dr. Fowler, assistant pathologist at Auckland Hospital, who conducted the post-mortem, described the discovery of the swab. He said the cause of death was acute generalised peritonitis and paralytic ileus. "I would say that all the swab might do would be to retard his ultimate recovery, but that it had nothing to do with his actual death," witness said. "I think he would have died in any case. If the peritonitis had been cleared up the swab would have been discovered."

"I think it has been made perfectly clear that the misadventure with the swab, in no way caused the death of this unfortunate man," said Mr. Hunt, in returning a verdict that death was duo. to acute general peritonitis and paralytic ileus. "He was in a; parlous condition when operated on, and there was. small chance of his recovery." Mil-Taunt said he (sympathised with the doctor in the matter. He had to carryout'difficult operations at a minute's notico without skilled assistance.