Broken suture needle lodged in woman's pelvic bone removed two days after delivery
MADURAI/RAMANATHAPURAM: A suture needle which "accidentally" broke at the time of vaginal suturing performed after childbirth on a 21-year-old woman was removed from her pelvic bone by doctors at Government Rajaji Hospital on Thursday.
The woman had delivered a baby girl on Tuesday night by normal delivery at an upgraded Primary Health Centre at Uchipuli in Ramanathapuram district.
After the incident, Deputy Director of Health Services of Ramanathapuram district P Kumaragurubaran suspended staff nurse Anbaga Selvi, posted at the upgraded PHC, and also made a recommendation to the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine that departmental action be initiated against assistant surgeon Mohammed Jasir for "delayed referral".
The patient, K Ramya, is married to casual labourer B Karthikeyan. The couple resides in Maravetti Valasai village. Ramya was admitted to the PHC on Monday and delivered her first child on Tuesday night.
"As Ramya continued to bleed profusely the next day, the PHC staff referred her to the Government District Headquarters Hospital in Ramanathapuram around 3.30 pm. At around 9.30 pm, we learnt about the presence of a broken needle in her pelvic bone from X-ray images," Karthikeyan told Express. Early on Thursday, Ramya was shifted to the government hospital in Madurai.
"The suture needle accidentally broke at the time of vaginal suturing, which is usually performed after normal delivery. Since an X-ray could not be taken at night time to ascertain the exact location of the broken needle, they waited till the next day. Due to profuse bleeding, the woman had to be shifted to the Ramanathapuram GH the next day," Kumaragurubaran said.
Sources at the Madurai hospital said Ramya was brought there at around 12.30 am on Thursday with the broken piece of needle intact in her pubic bone. The needle had broken while performing episiotomy (a surgical incision made at the opening of the vagina during childbirth, to aid a difficult delivery and prevent rupture of tissues), sources said.
A team of doctors, including obstetrician/gynaecologist, urologist, gastroenterologist and anaesthetist, performed an hour-long surgery and removed the broken needle.
"Ramya's condition is stable and she is currently in the ICU," doctors said.
Meanwhile agitated relatives of the woman protested outside the upgraded PHC on Thursday demanding suspension of medical staff for negligence.