Retained surgical needle post myomectomy, an uncommon mishap

Abstract

Background: Retained foreign bodies are relatively uncommon and probably underreported in the tropics. Largely preventable errors, they cause harm to both the patient and the medical practitioner. Case presentation and management: A 32-year-old primigravida with recurrent lower abdominal pain in pregnancy. She had myomectomy a year earlier at a private hospital in which the endometrium was inadvertently breached. She subsequently had an elective caesarean section at 38weeks and 2days gestational age. Intra-operative findings were adhesive bands between the uterus and loops of bowel and a round bodied surgical needle attached by adhesions anteriorly to the lower segment. Her postoperative care was uneventful and she w a s discharged home on the 3rd day post operation. Conclusion: Retained surgical foreign body (RSFB) could pose a diagnostic dilemma as in the case of this patient with recurrent lower abdominal pain in pregnancy. Meticulous instrument count should include sutures and needles.