In this episode, the Gritty Nurses discuss something that would be a patient's worst nightmare: having a medical instrument left in your body. In this particular instance, an epidural needle was left in Giovanna Ippolito's back from years ago! Furthermore, no one will take responsibility for it. Amie & Sara unpack some of the issues in hospitals related to medical malpractice, patient advocacy and glaring gaps in the healthcare system.

Giovanna Ippolito is living with a broken needle in her spine after it broke off during childbirth. An anesthesiologist then left the 4cm/2 inch-long fragment embedded in her back — and didn't tell her what happened.

Instead, it was discovered during an X-ray more than a decade later. The woman says her doctor can't directly link the pain she's experiencing to the needle, but one thing has been made clear to her: it's not safe to remove it.

Story: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/needle-spine-patient-investigations-1.7227058#:~:text=Giovanna%20Ippolito%20is%20living%20with,more%20than%20a%20decade%20later.

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