Woman rushed to hospital after gynaecologist left horrifying ‘metal item’ inside her

A Russian woman was left in excruciating pain after her gynaecologist allegedly left a metal brush inside her during a routine check-up, resulting in emergency surgery

A woman was left in agony as a result of serious neglect from her gynaecologist. As a result, the alleged victim was forced to undergo emergency surgery.

The private clinic where the incident unfolded is now reportedly facing calls for compensation and a criminal investigation. After a gynaecologist allegedly left a brush inside a patient, the victim had to undergo emergency surgery.

According to local sources in Russia, the 32-year-old, whose identity has not been revealed to the public, went for a check-up with a gynaecologist at a private clinic. During the examination, the doctor reportedly took a cervical scraping using a plastic stick with a metal brush at the end.

Immediately after the appointment, the victim began to feel unwell. As per Russian news Telegram channel Baza, she developed a fever and experienced lower abdominal pain.

The patient was subsequently rushed back to the clinic, where an ultrasound scan revealed a foreign object in her uterus. However, the doctor dismissed it, suggesting it was a contraceptive coil.

However, the victim had reportedly never been fitted for this type of contraception. At a different medical facility, the woman was admitted for emergency surgery.

It was then discovered that the previous gynaecologist had left the very same brush from the instrument inside her. Yuri Kirilenkov, a representative for the victim, believes the gynaecologist could not have failed to notice that a piece of the instrument had broken off.

Kirilenkov has therefore suggested that the doctor kept silent about the error. The victim and her lawyer are now seeking compensation from the clinic and are pushing for criminal proceedings to be initiated.

Meanwhile, the management of the medical facility has reportedly been shifting all blame onto the manufacturers of what they said were a faulty instrument. As of now, the clinic is only willing to reimburse part of the compensation.

In the UK, the accidental retention of medical instruments inside a patient is officially classified as a “Never Event”, Nelsons Solicitors state. This term is used to denote errors so serious and preventable that they should never occur if established safety procedures are properly followed.

According to the most recent NHS England data for 2026 and previous reporting periods, the issue remains a significant concern. Between April 2024 and March 2025, there were 106 recorded incidents of foreign objects being left in patients after a procedure in England.

Provisional data for the 2025/26 period (covering April to November 2025) indicates that at least 274 Never Events have already occurred across all categories, including retained objects. Surgical swabs and gauze are the most common items left behind, but Never Events in the UK have also involved more unusual items such as drill bits, scalpel blades, wire cutters, and parts of disposable equipment.

Retained items are a recognised risk in gynaecology and maternity care; in one 12-month period, vaginal swabs alone were left in patients on 32 occasions. The highest annual total for these types of errors in the past 20 years was 291 incidents, recorded in 2021–22.

Several factors increase the risk of such errors in UK hospitals. They are more likely to occur during emergency procedures, operations involving unexpected changes, or when multiple surgical teams are involved in a single case. Many incidents are not discovered immediately.

As a result, UK data shows that some patients do not realise an object has been left inside them for weeks, months, or even years, only becoming aware when symptoms develop.

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