Intra-abdominal needle: medical malpractice?

This case relates to an intra-abdominal foreign body which was detected in a patient. The patient claimed that this was a needle which had been negligently left in his abdomen by a surgical team following an appendectomy which had been performed 13 years previously (in 1994). A radiograph was taken in 2007 and compared against the pre-operative radiograph which had been taken in 1994. This showed that the foreign body had been in the patient's body prior to the appendectomy being performed. The foreign body was extracted from the patient's liver through laparoscopic surgery in 2007. Examination of the fragments revealed that the foreign body was a sewing needle. Medical literature suggests that the needle may have accidentally been ingested by the patient. This is a rare case of a migrated swallowed foreign body (there are only 46 similar cases reported worldwide). It is of interest that the patient's immediate reaction was to assume that this was a case of medical malpractice. This report discusses issues relating to this case that were raised during the criminal proceedings relating to the medical negligence claim.