EMERGENCY OPERATION

Evening Star, Issue 21752, 21 June 1934, Page 16

EMERGENCY OPERATION

DEATH OF SHIP'S STEWARD FORGOTTEN SWAB NO BEARING ON DEATH [Per United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, Juno 20. Tho post mortem disclosure of a swab iu the body of the deceased was reported at the inquest held by Mr F. K. Hunt, - S.M., to-day into the death < f John Gillies, aged 26, an assistant steward on the Monowai, who underwent an operation for appendicitis on the vessel on June 9 and died in the Auckland Hospital on June 15. At tho opening of tho inquest Mr Gray, who represented the ship’s doctor and the Union Company, asked that the proceedings .should Irc taken in camera, as be considered that no good purpose could be gamed by publicity, hut the coroner declined to agree. liobert James lioyd said he was ship’s surgeon on the Monowai. On Juno 9 tho deceased was suffering from acute peritonitis arising from chronic appendicitis, avid was operated on early in the afternoon. The anaesthetic, which was at first chloroform and later ether, was administered by tho chief officer, Thomas William White, and a steward was assisting generally. The patient was in a very bad condition. “ During the .operation the patient appeared to. be sinking, and I had to leave him to get a hypodermic charged with adrenalin,” witness continued. “ Ho seemed to recover, so I told the anaesthetist to continue with tho anaesthetic. 1 have since heard that a swab was found in the deceased. 11 that is so it must have slipped in while I was getting the hypodermic, because I laid a swab over the wound while J went to get it. The swab would be made of lint, and might be 2Jin by 3 Jim or even Jin by sin. i do not know how many swabs J used. The steward, who had assisted at throe previous similar operations, prepared them. L asked the steward how many swabs there were, but he said he did not know, and we could not wait as the patient, was in such a bad condition. Tinpatient at no lime made any real progress towards recovery, and I did not expect him to recover.” Witness added that tho inflammatory condition of tho peritoneum was too widespread. The presence of the swab would have done him no immediate harm. Later on, if he had recovered from the serious condition brought, about by the peritonitis the swab might have made its presence apparent, and would then have been removed. Dr Fowler, assistant pathologist at tho Auckland Hospital, who conducted the post mortem, detailed' the discovery of the swab. He said the cause of death was acute generalised peritonitis and paralytic ileus. “ 1 would say that, all the swab might do would be- to retard his ultimate recovery, but that it had nothing to do with his actual death,” witness said. “ J think luwould have died in any case. If the peritonitis had been cleared up the swab would have been discovered.” “ T think it has been made perfectly clear that the misadventure with the swab in no way caused the death of this unfortunate man,” said Mr Hunt iu returning a verdict That death was due to acute general peritonitis and paralytic ileus. “He was in a parlous condition when operated on, and there was small chance of Ids recovery.” Mr Hi,int said he sympathised with the doctor in the matter. He had to carry out difficult operations at a mi mite’s notice without skilled assistance.