23.08.2025 15:22
A young woman who gave birth at a private hospital in Antalya had a 30-centimeter-long gauze forgotten in her abdomen, which was detected 2 years later. The Ministry of Health has granted permission for an investigation into the incident.
In 2021, Y.S. (34), who gave birth at a private hospital in Antalya, had a 30-centimeter-long gauze left in her body, which was revealed by a tomography scan. The gauze, which was forgotten during childbirth and emerged two years later, was removed through surgery after she experienced pain for a long time.
Living in Antalya, Y.S. went to a private hospital to give birth to her daughter in 2021. After undergoing a cesarean section, Y.S. returned to the same hospital on the day she was discharged due to complaints of vomiting and pain. Y.S. stayed in the hospital for 12 days due to issues with her intestines, during which she was separated from her baby. The baby, who could not be breastfed by her mother, was fed with formula. After being discharged, Y.S. began to experience pus leaking from her stitches. According to allegations, her doctor D.A., who performed her delivery, stated that the situation was normal and that the inflammation would resolve over time. For two years, Y.S. experienced intermittent pain and pus leakage. After not receiving any results from the hospitals she visited during this time, she sought help from Antalya Training and Research Hospital in 2023.
FILED A CRIMINAL COMPLAINT WITH THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
During the examination here, the doctor requested an emergency tomography. In the tomography taken in August 2023, the gauze that was forgotten in Y.S.'s body after childbirth was observed. Shocked, Y.S. learned that the negligence was the cause of the pain she had been experiencing for two years. The gauze, approximately 30 centimeters long, which was forgotten in Y.S.'s abdomen, was removed through surgery. Y.S. filed a criminal complaint against the hospital and the doctors who were negligent during the process.
"I COULDN'T EVEN HOLD MY CHILD"
Y.S., who stated that she went through very difficult days, said that her pain and intermittent pus leakage continued for two years. Y.S. said, "I applied to different hospitals, but no one could diagnose me. I finally went to Antalya Training and Research Hospital. Here, I was told that a gauze was left in my body during childbirth. I couldn't even hold my child for 10 days due to the pain I experienced after giving birth," she said.
"IT DID NOT HARM THE PATIENT AS IT WAS STERILE"
Following the criminal complaint, the Ministry of Health initiated an investigation into the incident. During the investigation, the statements of the healthcare personnel mentioned in the file were taken. Doctor D.A. stated in his testimony that the delivery was performed without any issues, that Y.S. was discharged in a healthy condition two days later, and that according to medical records, the count of materials in the operating room was accurate. D.A. continued in his statement, "No foreign object was observed in the ultrasound performed on Y.S. If the gauze remained in the patient's body despite all our attention and counting during the operation, it did not cause any medical harm to the patient as it was sterile."
LIQUID WAS OBSERVED IN THE IMAGING
Among those whose statements were taken was operating room nurse Ö.Ö., who said that during the pandemic, they acted by disregarding their own lives, thinking about the mother and baby's lives, and that the materials were fully reported to the doctor after the surgery. The doctor E.B., who performed the radiological imaging, stated that at the request of Doctor D.A., he examined Y.S. and that it was impossible to see a pathology in the abdomen, but he observed dilation and fluid in the intestines during the examination.
"IT HAS PLAYED A ROLE IN DIAGNOSTIC DELAY"
Doctor E.B. continued in his statement: "As far as it falls within my examination area, it has been mentioned that there is severe distension (abdominal swelling) in the intestinal loops in the abdomen. In the second observation, a diagnosis of intestinal obstruction was made. There was no deficiency or oversight in the procedure I performed. On the contrary, a diagnosis of obstruction, which is the most likely pathological condition that can be seen in the early stages of Gossypiboma (the presence of a foreign object left in the patient's body), was made. The subsequent process can be concluded with the clinician's evaluation. The fact that the gauze used was not marked with a radiopaque substance has also played a role in the diagnostic delay."
ACTIONS OF 4 PERSONNEL WILL BE INVESTIGATED
As a result of the preliminary investigation conducted by the Ministry of Health's Professional Responsibility Board, it was stated that the actions of Doctor D.A., operating room nurse Ö.Ö., Specialist Doctor N.K., and Specialist Doctor E.B. should be clarified with judicial authorities, and permission for investigation was granted two years after the complaint.