Opinion ID: 1748237
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Second and Third Theories of Liability

Text: There is sufficient evidence in the record to support the jury's verdict that Dr. Patterson committed malpractice in his post-operative care of Ms. Tutton. The trial court's charge in regard to the post-operative care count was error free. In regard to the post-operative care count, there is abundant expert testimony that Dr. Patterson failed to comply with the applicable standard of care. There is also sufficient evidence in the record to support the jury's verdict that Dr. Patterson was negligent in leaving a sponge in Ms. Tutton's abdomen. Dr. Patterson testified that the laparotomy sponges had a loop to which a hemostat is hooked which is left outside the belly during the operation so that the incision will not be closed with the sponge remaining inside the patient. Dr. Patterson testified that this was part of my procedure in a caesarean section operation and that he usually used them [hemostats] in this manner. Although Dr. Patterson testified that he thought he used one in the operation in controversy, the jury could infer otherwise. His failure to do so would violate a standard of care which the doctor established through his own testimony. Moreover, there was expert witness testimony that by leaving the sponge in the Plaintiff, Dr. Patterson deviated from the standard of care. The record does not contain any explanation as to why the sponge was left in the Plaintiff except that a caesarean section is a bloody operation, that Dr. Patterson looked for the sponge before closing the incision and that he relied upon the nurses' sponge count. Numerous cases have held that reliance on a sponge count does not, as a matter of law, relieve a doctor from liability for leaving a sponge in a patient. Spears v. McKinnon, 168 Ark. 357, 270 S.W. 524 (1925); Armstrong v. Wallace, 8 Cal. App.2d 429, 47 P.2d 740 (1935); Rule v. Cheeseman, 181 Kan. 957, 317 P.2d 472 (1957); Barnett's Administrator v. Brand, 165 Ky. 616, 177 S.W. 461 (1915); Grant v. Touro Infirmary, 254 La. 204, 223 So.2d 148 (1969); Walker v. Holbrook, 130 Minn. 106, 153 N.W. 305 (1915); Rudeck v. Wright, 709 P.2d 621 (Mont. 1985); Stawicki v. Kelley 113 N.J. Law 551, 174 A. 896 (1934); Ault v. Hall, 119 Ohio St. 422, 164 N.E. 518 (1928); Paro v. Carter, 177 Wis. 121, 188 N.W. 68 (1922); McCormick v. Jones, 152 Wash. 508, 278 P. 181 (1929). There is substantial evidence in the record from which the jury could have concluded that Dr. Patterson was negligent in leaving the sponge in the Plaintiff and deviated from the applicable standard of care in his post-operative care of the Plaintiff.