HOUSTON — A man who suffered complications and required additional surgery after a surgical towel was allegedly left inside during a procedure at Baylor College of Medicine has filed a negligence lawsuit against the hospital.
Wilber Harris filed a complaint on Nov. 1 in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas against CHI St. Luke's Health Baylor College of Medicine, doing business as Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine, alleging negligence. Harris' lawsuit claims that he underwent surgery for the repair of an Extent II thoracoabdominal aneurysm on June 14, 2018.
The suit claims that a radiopaque towel undetectable by x-ray was used during the surgery and that after doctors noticed a "foul-smelling drainage" coming from Harris' incision, he underwent a second surgery at UC Health Memorial in Colorado in which the towel was found and removed. Harris also alleges in the suit that the surgical towel "is not the only incident of a retained surgical item that has been documented to have occurred at Baylor St. Luke's in 2018," according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data.
Harris seeks monetary relief, trial by jury, interest and all other just relief. He is represented by Robert Painter of the Painter Law Firm PLLC in Houston
Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas case number 4:19-CV-04293