What is it about?
We describe a case in which a patient presented with a prolonged history of cough, including coughing up blood, in which the cause was discovered to be a surgical swab (sponge) which had been left behind during a previous operation that eroded through from the abdomen into the lung.
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Why is it important?
Recognizing the risks of retained surgical swabs helps to remind us why it is so important to be meticulous when checking and counting swabs during operations. This case also involved leakage of air from the lung to the abdomen during ventilation, which is a very unusual but important event to recognize.
Perspectives
Although a rare but unfortunate situation, this case reminds us of the value of clinical vigilance, and the challenges which can be faced when normal anatomy is interrupted by pathology.
Dr Ross Hofmeyr
Department of Anaesthesia & Perioperative Medicine, University of Cape Town
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Post-laparotomy haemoptysis due to broncho-abdominal fistula caused by retained abdominal surgical swab, Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia, October 2016, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/22201181.2016.1228777.
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