Woman Rewarded $2.4 Million Because of Gynecologist's Mistake

Jenny Albano

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A Broward County jury awarded more than $2.4 million to Karlene Chambers of Pembroke Pines after her gynecologist left a sponge-like material in her following a cesarean procedure.

Chambers sued her doctor, Joseph Becerra of the Pembroke Pines OB/GYN Associates, Memorial Hospital West and other medical agencies involved in the mishap for negligence.

According to Chamber's attorney Crane Johnstone, the women went to Memorial Hospital West on September 9th to give birth, two days later she was given a C-section. Chambers checked out of the hospital on Sept. 14th but returned to her doctor three days later with an illness. Becerra prescribed her antibiotics but Chambers did not recover and acquired a fever. She had to come back to the hospital of Sept. 19 and have a X-ray. The X-ray showed that there was a foreign object in her, but the problem was never reported due to miscommunication.

On Sept. 22 Chambers had to go back to the hospital and receive a CAT scan. The CAT scan revealed that the foreign object was a foot long sponge that the doctor left in Chambers pelvis during the C-section. The sponge is what caused her to have an infection in her uterus and her abdomen. Chambers had to have emergency surgery to remove the sponge.

According to Johnstone, Chambers, a first-grade teacher at Fairway Elementary in Miramar, lost her ability to have more children because of the botched operation, and suffers from other health problems.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.