Surgical materials retained in the abdomen after surgery.

Materials and methods: The authors present seven cases of surgical drapes left in the body cavity after surgery. The most common symptoms reported by those patients were analyzed and the consequences of leaving a foreign body in the abdomen were compared. Results: In most cases, the time between surgery and detection of the foreign body was, on average, 17 months. In one case, the foreign body remained in the abdomen for seven years. The most common symptom reported by the patients was abdominal pain. Some patients also experienced impaired wound healing with purulent discharge, fever, nausea and vomiting, weight loss, or intermittent melena. In most cases, re-operation was required to remove the foreign body. Major surgery with stoma creation or bowel resection was necessary. In one case, leaving the surgical drape ultimately led to the patient's death. In three cases, there was spontaneous expulsion of the surgical drape by the patient by natural means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]