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News: Surgical sponges left inside woman for... (CNN News) - Behind the headlines

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Media coverage of health and science topics

CNN News Feb. 21, 2018

Surgical sponges left inside woman for at least 6 years | CNN

Two surgical sponges were left in a woman's abdomen for at least six years, according to a new report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Read more at CNN News

Behind the headlines

Research findings and data from the National Library of Medicine

PubMed articles

N Engl J Med FEB. 22, 2018

Two Pelvic Masses

T Kondo et al
N Engl J Med JAN. 16, 2003

Risk factors for retained instruments and sponges after surgery

AA Gawande et al

The risk of retention of a foreign body after surgery significantly increases in emergencies, with unplanned changes in procedure, and with higher body-mass index. Case-- …

Open Access Maced J Med Sci JAN. 5, 2017

Retained Surgical Foreign Bodies after Surgery

VA Zejnullahu et al

The problem of retained surgical bodies (RSB) after surgery is an issue for surgeons, hospitals and the entire medical team. They have potentially harmful consequences fo …

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The New York Times JAN. 30, 2019

He Swallowed a Toothpick. It Could Have Killed Him. (Published 2019)

For several weeks, a young athlete’s symptoms stumped doctors, despite tests and scans. Unnoticed in a sandwich or wrap, toothpicks can do a surprising amount of damage in the digestive tract, and beyond.

CNN News JAN. 16, 2019

250,000 deaths a year from climate change is a 'conservative estimate,' research says | CNN

Climate change will kill many more than the additional 250,000 people the World Health Organization predicted would die every year due to climate change, according to a new report in the New England Journal of Medicine and people who work in the medical industry need to take action …

The New York Times APRIL 22, 2019

Sea Sponges: Nature’s Disinfectants (Published 2019)

The creatures host a number of chemicals that fight off bacteria and fungi.

CNN News JUNE 7, 2022

A sponge may not be the most hygienic way to clean dishes, study suggests, but there is an alternative

While not all bacteria are harmful, those that are -- like salmonella -- can spread from sponges to your hands and kitchen surfaces, according to a new study. Those bacteria can make people sick. Another option is more hygienic.

The New York Times JULY 28, 2021

These Could Be the Oldest Animal Fossils Ever Found, or Just Squiggles (Published 2021)

Critics challenged a study’s claim that a netlike structure found in rocks in a Canadian mountain range could be an 890-million-year-old sponge fossil.