No problem even if forceps in body for 50 years: Doctor

Alappuzha: In a bizzare explanation, Dr Lalithambika Karunakaran, a retired gynaecologist at Alappuzha Medical College in Vandanam, against whom the family of Usha Joseph, an MGNREGA worker had raised allegations of surgical error, said even if forceps remained inside the body for 50 years, there would be no problem.However, Dr Lalithambika on Friday said that she hadn't performed the surgery. The family said that Dr Lalithambika had initially checked Usha.Usha (51), from Punnapra in Alappuzha, lived in severe pain for five years allegedly after doctors at Alappuzha Medical College left a pair of 10-cm-long forceps in her abdomen during surgery. "I didn't directly participate in the surgery conducted at that time," said Lalithambika. The doctor said that during the time of Usha's surgery, she was actively involved in Covid prevention activities, prioritising the treatment of pregnant women affected by Covid. Usha was hospitalised to remove a tumour weighing 3.5kg, suspected to be cancerous.What was stuck in Usha's stomach was not scissors but a very small item called mosquito forceps, said Lalithambika. "The view seen in the X-ray was magnified. There was no evidence of when it was placed. Usha had undergone surgery earlier too, and the instrument could have been left from that time," she said."It is not known if the instrument was stuck in her body during the surgery at Vandanam. Only an investigation will reveal it. It could have been left during a surgery conducted 20 years ago," she said."Normally, someone is responsible for counting the number of instruments before and after surgery. However, govt hospitals lack such personnel," she added.The floor nurse is responsible for counting and keeping track of instruments used in surgery and doctors usually rely on nurses' words to stitch up after surgery, said Lalithambika. If there was an error in that, such incidents could occur," she added.