SWAB LEFT IN BODY

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 21 June 1934, Page 8

SWAB LEFT IN BODY

DISCLOSURE AT INQUEST MAN OPERATED ON AT SEA. NO -RELATION TO DEATH. VERDICT OE THE CORONER. )■ AUCKLAND, June 20. The post-mortem' examination dis 1 - j closure of a swab' in 'the 1 body Df the dec eased was report ed a t an inquelst held by Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., into the death of John Gillies, aged 1 2d, single, assistant steward 1 on the Monowai, who underwent am operation for appendicitis om the vessel) on June 9, and who died in. the Auckland 1 hospital on June 15. At the opening of the inquest. Mr Gray, who represented the ship’s doctor and the Union Co., asked that tire proceedings be taken in: 'camera as he considered' .no good purpose c'ould be gained iby publicity, but the coroner declined to agree. Robert James Boyd; said 1 he was ship’s 'Surgeon on the Monowai. On June 9 Gillies was suffering from acute peritonitis arising from chronic appendicitis and was operated on early in the afternoon. The anaesthetic,, which was at first chloroform: and later ether, Avals administer by the chief officer, Thomas William White, arndl a steward! was assisting generally. The patient was in a very bad condition. “During the operation the patient alpp'eared to be sinking and;' I'had toi leave him to get a hypodermic changed 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 the swab over the wound while I went to l get it.

NO REAL PROGRESS. “The swab would! b'e made of lint and might be Sfin. by 3A in or even 3in by s in. Ido not know how many siyabs I'uSed. The steward l , who had assisted' at three previous similar operations, prepared them. I asked’ the steward lioav many swab© there wei‘e', but he said he did not know, and we coul’d 1 mb.t wait as the patient was in such a bad condition. The patient at no time madd any real progress towards recovery, a'nd I did not expect him to recover.” The witness added that the inflammatory condition of peritoneum was too widespread. The presence l of the swab would have done him no .immediate harm. Later on, if he had recovered • from . the seriotos condition, brought about' by peritonitis, the ©wab might have made its presence apparent and. would' then have been removed. Dr. Fowler, assistant' pathologist at; the- Auckland' hospital, who edadutot'e'd the post-mortem, detailed the discovery of the swab. He said 1 'the cause' _of d'eSath was acute generalised peritonitis' and paralytic ileus. “I would .say all the .swab might do* would! be to retard his ultimate recovery, but that it had nothing to do Avith his actual death,” witness said. I think he would! have died in any case. If the peritonitis had been cleared up tiic igwal) •w’ould have 'b ecu discovered. “I think it has been made perfectly clear that the misadventure wiith the ,swab in no way caused the death of this unfortunate man,” said Mr Hunt j in returning a verdict that death was dub to acute general peritonitis and paralytic ileus. “He was in a paribus condition when operated on, and there was small chance of his recovery, Mr Hunt said. He sympathised with the doctor in the matter. He had! to carryout difficult operations at a minutes notice and without skilled assistance.