A Wisconsin man has filed a lawsuit against Milwaukee-based Froedtert Hospital, alleging medical negligence and fraud after claiming a medical instrument was left inside his body following a 2020 surgery, according to an Aug. 31 report from local CBS affiliate CBS58.
Nestor Vega claims that the instrument was knowingly left inside following an ankle surgery and led to severe and permanent damage.
"All of these individuals heard this pop, it was no mystery that this fragment of this surgical drain was inside Mr. Vega," B'Ivory LaMarr, Mr. Vega's attorney, told CBS58. "Instead of getting an X-ray and setting him up for an immediate surgery thereafter, instead, they tried to act like this situation didn't exist."
Mr. Vega allegedly took a cellphone video moments after his procedure that showed his concern from the beginning. Even though he went into emergency surgery three months later, he is still dealing with consequences from an infection, according to the report.
"We are empathetic to any patient whose expectations have not been met during their course of care. Due to patient privacy laws and ongoing litigation, we are not commenting further," Froedtert said in a statement.