Home / Health / Staples in Arm? Hospital Denies Negligence Claim
Staples in Arm? Hospital Denies Negligence Claim
11 Feb
Summary
- Patient claims over 10 staples left in arm after 2023 surgery.
- Hospital states staples were used for skin graft anchoring.
- Surgical staples were not removed to prevent wound complications.
Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) has formally refuted allegations of medical negligence concerning a 42-year-old patient, Sarath Babu. Babu claimed that over ten surgical staples were left inside his forearm following a fracture correction surgery performed in 2023. He asserted that an X-ray taken four months post-operation only showed two staples, with others having fallen off the skin.
Hospital sources detailed that Babu was admitted on October 16, 2023, after sustaining a head injury and severe forearm fractures in a road accident. The forearm bones were mended with plates and screws, and a skin graft was performed due to significant tissue loss. Surgical staples were utilized specifically to secure this skin graft.
Following post-operative care, Babu was discharged on November 10, 2023, against medical advice. He later presented with complaints of discharge from the forearm and was readmitted on April 28, 2025. While the plates and screws were removed on May 7, 2025, the staples from the skin graft were deliberately left in place. Hospital authorities explained that attempting to surgically remove these staples could risk wound dehiscence.
