The Food and Drug Administration is warning doctors — and the public — about an growing but largely unrecognized problem plaguing surgery patients: UFDs.

Unretrieved device fragments, medical devices that break and leave behind potentially deadly debris after surgery, is responsible for at least 72 deaths and 4,675 injuries since 2003, an FDA database reports.

This is on par with mistakes that have received far more attention — sponges and instruments left in abdominal cavities — with this difference: doctors usually know they’re there, but they either make no attempt to retrieve the devices or are unsuccessful when they try.

FDA records show that more than 200 medical devices contribute to the problem. The most common problem occurs when wire guides for catheters used in heart operations break or fracture, leaving the device or fragments behind. Bone screws used in orthopedic operations are often culprits as well.

Some health workers don’t tell their patients about the broken devices, sending them home with pieces that have the potential to migrate throughout the body, or to interact with future procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging.  One worry is that metal objects can overheat during MRIs, scorching patients from the inside.

While the FDA works to develop some sort of reporting system, it’s up to patients to protect themselves. Ask doctors to explain potential complications of medical procedures and devices well before surgery begins. If a device is being removed, they should ask to see it. Afterward, they should ask if anything was left behind.

If you are suffering from this sort of problem, seek out an experienced lawyer who can help you with professional insight and to determine what sort of financial compensation is available.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 31st, 2008 at 4:59 pm and is filed under Balloon Catheters, Medical Device. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.