Nevada mother files lawsuit alleging doctor left a surgical sponge inside her after C-section 18 years ago
A woman has filed a lawsuit against her doctor and the hospital where she gave birth via Cesarean section, alleging a surgical sponge was left in her for 18 years.
A Nevada woman is suing her doctor and the hospital where she gave birth via Cesarean section in 2005, alleging that a surgical sponge was left inside her abdomen for 18 years.
Alma Nunez de Avelar “experienced pain and discomfort in her abdominal area that waxed and waned” after giving birth to her son, according to the lawsuit, which was filed on Jan. 18 against Summerlin Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas and against Nunez de Avelar’s attending surgeon, Dr. Paul Wilkes.
Summerlin told NBC News that it does not comment on pending litigation. Wilkes did not respond to multiple phone calls and an email to his practice Thursday.
Nunez de Avelar had surgery in March 2023 after imaging showed a mass near her left ovary, the lawsuit said. The operation revealed that it was a laparotomy sponge — an absorbent pad that surgical teams use to keep blood and other bodily fluids out of the area when they are operating. Commonly referred to as a lap sponge, it can also be used to apply pressure to stop bleeding.
“After the lap sponge mass was peeled off Plaintiff’s left sidewall, it was removed from her body,” the lawsuit said, adding that Nunez de Avelar does not believe the lap sponge was left inside of her intentionally.
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