Surgeons left 16 items in German after operation: lawyer

BERLIN // A lawyer in Germany claims surgeons left up to 16 objects in her client's body after an operation for prostate cancer.

Annette Corinth says doctors removed a needle, compresses and surgical strips from former banker Helmut Brecht after his wounds failed to heal properly following surgery in 2009.

The 77-year-old died last year and his family is seeking €80,000 (Dh392,143) damages for his suffering, plus costs, from the Henriettenstift hospital in Hannover.

A spokesman for the Protestant Church-linked organisation that runs the hospital rejected the claims.

Achim Balkhoff said yesterday the objects couldn't have been left in the patient's body during the operation because the equipment wasn't in use at the hospital.

He added that the compensation demands were "unusually high" for such a case.