SWAB LEFT IN BODY.

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXIX, Issue 149, 21 June 1934, Page 3

SWAB LEFT IN BODY.

OPERATION AT SEA | DOCTOR EXONERATED (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, Last Night. The post-mortem disclosure of a swab in the body of the deceased was reported at an inquest held by Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., into the death of John Gillies, aged 26, single, assistant steward on the Monowai, who underwent an operation for appendicitis on the vessel on June 9 and who died in the Auckland Hospital on June 15.

At the opening of the inquest, Mr. Gray, who represented the ship’s doctor and the Union Co., asked that the proceedings be taken in camera, as he considered that 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 9. Deceased 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, was administered by the chief officer, Thomas William White, and a steward was assisting. Generally, the patient was in a very bad condition.

"‘During the operation the patient appeared to be sinking 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 the swab over the wound while I went to get it. The swab would be -made of lint and might be 2£in. by sin., or even 3in. by sin. Ido 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 T did not expect him to recover.”

Witness added that the inflammatory condition of the p.eritoneum was too .wide-spread. The presence of the swab could have done no immediate bairn. Later on, if he'had recovered from the serious, condition brought about by peritonitis, the swab might have made its presence apparent, an dwould then have been removed.

Dr. Fowler, assistant pathologist at the Auckland Hospital, who conducted the post-mortem, detailed the discovery of the swab. He said that 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. If the peritonitis had been cleared up the swab would have been discovered.”

“I think that 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 due to acute general peritonitis and paralytic ileus. “He, was in a parlous condition when operated on, and there was small chance of his recovery.”

Mr. Hunt said that he sympathised with the doctor in the matter. He had to carry out difficult operations a a minute’s notice without skilled assistance.