Screwdriver in Patient

15th February 2006

Doctor Admits Implanting Screwdriver In Patient

Family Sues Medical Center, Doctor

A family in Hilo, Hawaii, has sued a doctor after the man admitted he implanted a screwdriver into the neck of a patient, instead of titanium rods, according to a Local 6 News report.

Local 6 News showed an X-ray of Arturo Iturralde's neck with a vertical screwdriver shaft inside.

Doctor Robert Ricketson said that during a surgery on Iturralde, a nurse told him there were no more titanium rods for his neck.

Ricketson said he did not feel he could risk keeping the man under anesthetic with an unstable spine for any longer so he made the decision to substitute the rods with a screwdriver, according to the report.

An attending nurse, Janelle Feldmeyer, said she was kicked out of the operating by Ricketson and later found out from a co-worker at Hilo Medical Center how the surgery ended.

"She said Dr. Ricketson used a screwdriver that he cut apart from the instrumentation tray," Feldmeyer said. "And I said to Theresa at that time, 'He can not do that.'"

Feldmeyer said she complained to superiors at the hospital on different occasions but was told to keep quiet, according to the report.

Iturralde's family is now suing the Ricketson and the medical center.

From Local6 News