Nightmare at Ichilov: Patient lived with scalpel in his body for four months

At the Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv, doctors left a surgical scalpel inside a 40-year-old patient after surgery following a car accident. The foreign object was discovered four months later when the man continued to suffer severe pain. The patient was re-hospitalized and the scalpel was removed. The hospital admitted a serious medical error, but the circumstances are still being investigated.

At the Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv, doctors left a surgical scalpel inside a 40-year-old patient after surgery performed due to a serious car accident on the Ayalon Highway. The man suffered multiple fractures and an arm injury, underwent surgery, and was discharged after three days. However, the pain did not subside, the arm did not recover, and doctors attributed the symptoms to the postoperative period, with some even suggesting a psychological cause. Four months later, a follow-up CT scan revealed a metal object in the shoulder area—the scalpel blade. The patient was urgently hospitalized, underwent a second operation, and the object was removed. Hospital representatives met with the family and admitted a serious medical error, although the exact circumstances have yet to be established. Ichilov confirmed the incident, stating that, based on preliminary assessment, there should be no long-term health consequences.

Nightmare at Ichilov: Patient lived with scalpel in his body for four months