Surgeons left towel in man's stomach

A man whose doctors left a surgical towel in his stomach after surgery for has been awarded $500,000 (€423,000) in damages by a Florida judge.

William Barlow, 62, developed a blood infection and fever after leaving the Veteran’s Administration hospital in December 2000, following surgery for an aortic aneurysm, according to a summary of the case released by the judge. The 16x28in towel was removed four months later.

The VA admitted liability over the forgotten towel but tried to limit the damage award, citing Barlow’s poor health and obesity.

US District Judge Ursula Ungaro-Benages, who heard the trial without a jury in Miami, decided Barlow’s existing medical problems, including emphysema and diabetes, were aggravated by the infection, the 10-day stay for the towel’s removal and the quick succession of major surgeries.

Barlow also had surgery to remove a cancerous kidney in 2000.