A man filed a lawsuit against Myrtle Beach, S.C.-based Grand Strand Medical Center in May, claiming physicians associated with the hospital failed to remove part of a surgical glove inside his incision during surgery, according to ABC 15 News.
According to court documents filed May 4, William Millwood Jr. injured his chest and right shoulder during a motorcycle accident on or near May 18, 2016.
That same day, Mr. Millwood visited Myrtle Beach-based South Strand Medical Center, stating he had difficulty breathing and felt pain in his right shoulder. He was diagnosed with a collapsed lung and taken to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center.
On May 18, 2016, Mr. Millwood underwent surgery at GSRMC, during which physicians Zachary Bryant, MD, and Antonio D. Pepe, MD, inserted a chest tube to heal the collapsed lung. Mr. Millwood stayed at the facility until the chest tube was surgically removed May 21, 2016, at which time he was discharged and sent home.
However, Mr. Millwood sought care at Mary Black Health System-Gaffney (S.C.) June 13, 2016, informing providers the surgical incision hadn't healed. On Oct. 21, 2016, Mr. Millwood was referred to Steven Leyland, MD, a physician with Spartanburg (S.C.) Regional Healthcare System, who authorized exploratory surgery.
During the Nov. 2, 2016, operation, Dr. Leyland reportedly "discovered and removed a portion of a surgical glove left in [Mr. Millwood] from the chest tube placement and removal performed at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center," according to court documents obtained by ABC 15 News.
The lawsuit states GSRMC and its physicians failed to "provide adequate and appropriate treatment," which resulted in "extensive additional wound treatment and expense" and "subsequent damages suffered by [Mr. Millwood]," the report states.
GSRMC did not respond to ABC 15 News' requests for comment.