title: Gossypiboma and surgeon- current medicolegal aspect - a review.
abstract: Gossypiboma or textiloma is referred to as a surgical gauze or towel inadvertently retained inside the body following surgery. It is an infrequent but avoidable surgical complication, which must be kept in mind in any postoperative patient who presents with pain, infection, or palpable mass. Gossypiboma, in the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur, proves that the surgeon is negligent. Moreover, it has medicolegal consequences including mental agony, humiliation, huge monetary compensation and imprisonment on the part of the surgeon and increased morbidity, mortality and financial loss on the part of the patient. Here we report two cases of gossypiboma and review its current medicolegal aspect in relation to the surgeon.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Green View, 128 Diamond Harbour Road, Barisha Barabari, Kolkata, 700008 India.
authors.forename: Rabi Sankar
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Biswas
authors.forename: Suvro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ganguly
authors.forename: Makhan Lal
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Saha
authors.forename: Subhasis
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saha
authors.forename: Subhabrata
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.forename: Asif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ayaz
keywords: Gossypiboma; Medical negligence; Medicolegal aspect
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