Two surgeons were sentenced to prison terms of 14 and 11 months respectively for “forgetting” a 12.5 cm surgical needle in the abdomen of a female patient after a gynecological operation at a private clinic in Thessaloniki.

They were found guilty of reckless bodily harm by the Sole Misdemeanors Court of Thessaloniki, while a nurse instrument maker was charged with the same act and was sentenced to seven months in prison.

According to the indictment, in May 2018, a 59-year-old patient underwent surgery to remove cystic ovarian masses using laparoscopy.

As she complained, after the operation she had terrible pains in the region of the left kidney and in the abdomen, and the attending physician assured her that these were “normal postoperative symptoms”.

Testifying in court, the patient said that in the following months she received strong painkillers, until in September of that year she went to another clinic, where she underwent a series of tests.

As a result of medical examinations, it was found that there was a needle left in her body during a previous operation. Under these conditions, she underwent two surgeries to remove the needle, but its prolonged presence in her body caused kidney failure and irreversible damage to her health.

After apologizing, both doctors disclaimed responsibility and, among other things, declared a financial failure. The longest term was assigned to the attending physician, and the second doctor (with the shortest term) was present in the operating room as an assistant.

The above sentences were suspended for three years, all of which were appealed and released.