“Riing, riingg.” Who’s there?
Oh, that’s right — it’s just the doctor who left his cellphone inside a woman after a C-section calling.
According to one poor postpartum mother in Jordan, not only did this actually happen, but the phone really did start ringing.
Last month, after being discharged from a private hospital following a C-section procedure to deliver her 10-pound son, 36-year-old Hanan Mahmoud Abdul Karim started complaining of extreme pain in her abdominal area. Obviously pain in the abdomen wouldn’t exactly be unusual after a C-section, but something was clearly amiss with what she was feeling. And the last clue that something was really, really wrong? The woman’s mother claims that her abdomen actually started vibrating when the phone started buzzing while still inside her.
To add insult to injury, the family reports that the hospital where she had undergone surgery refused to treat her, so they were forced to take her to the casualty department of a public hospital, where the phone was removed.
As a labor and delivery nurse, I’ve watched and assisted with countless C-sections, which makes this story even more shocking to me. Every inch of a doctor and any other person anywhere near that open incision is covered, so there’s just no way in the world anyone should have access to a pocket where a phone is stashed in the first place, let alone actually use the phone during the surgery. I mean, what the heck? This doctor just sliced this poor woman open, then reached under his supposedly sterile gown with bloody gloves to send a quick text, only to drop the entire phone in her abdomen without anyone noticing? It’s not like he does the whole surgery alone — there should be at least three other people surrounding the woman, literally watching every move. There are obviously some major problems going on in that operating room, least of all some incompetent dropping and sewing his phone up into someone’s body cavity.
I also have a really hard time believing that the phone was actually still working, but I guess it’s possible. I mean, phones are designed to be more water-resistant and shatterproof than ever before, but uterus-proof? I’m just not too sure about that. Perhaps in part due to how absurd the whole thing sounds, the case is currently under investigation.
And if it does turn out to be true, I think it’s safe to say that we all hope this poor woman recovers, gets compensated in some way and that this doctor gets some serious roaming charges after he is punished.
More on C-sections
Startling documentary examines America’s sky-high C-section rates
Don’t tell me I didn’t really give birth because I had a C-section
12 Breathtaking C-section scar tattoos
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