anonymous

13th October 2018

THE PASSAGE OF THE DENTURES - 6

  THE PASSAGE OF THE DENTURES - 6

DR H.L. CHULANI

Rarely do things get left in various body cavities by surgeons at the time of operation. Most have to be removed soon after, due to various complications setting in. Sometimes the patient dies because of these complications. This is an instance when the surgeon was operating on a condition called a rectal prolapse. In this disease, the whole rectum protrudes out when the patient attempts to pass a stool. The rectum then either go on its own or has to be pushed in manually by the patient. A method treatment involves narrowing the anal outlet to prevent the rectum from emerging. During the surgery, the surgeon inserted a cotton sponge within the rectum to prevent soiling of the wound with faecal matter. Having narrowed the anal opening, he forgot to remove the cotton sponge. The patient developed loose motions after the surgery which could not be explained. He lost weight, became anaemic and developed swelling of both his feet. He lived with this for almost two years. We thought that the narrowing of the anus was responsible for the state of affairs and decided to undo the prior surgery. When we undid the narrowing, the cotton sponge was noticed and taken out. Can you imagine the quantity of stools held behind the sponge? A bucketful, literally! He was completely relieved of his complaint. The prolapse for which the operation was initially done also did not recur. Nature has a way of looking after things.