A retained surgical drain in the abdomen for five years

Abstract

Retained surgical drain in the peritoneal cavity is very rare but potentially dangerous error. Most cases are unreported because of the fear of medico-legal problems. Management of such iatrogenic complications requires repeated   laparotomy or wound exploration. We reported a case of a large corrugated rubber drain migrated and retained accidently in the abdominal cavity in a patient who underwent exploratory laparotomy for peritonitis secondary to perforated appendix about five years ago.