A physician is found negligent in a medical malpractice lawsuit claiming the doctor lost a surgical needle in a patient's abdomen and then closed the opening after he couldn't find it.
Dr. Douglas M. Heymann is found liable for the incident during a hernia surgery in 2001. The patient, 55-year-old Christopher Faas, now has the needle lodged in his liver, where it will remain.
Damages are pending a final trial decision.
Faas' motion for a summary judgment against another surgeon, Dr. Joseph Iraci, and Lenox Hill Hospital, was dismissed - trials are scheduled for Aug. 2.
Dr. Heymann called Dr. Iraci in to help him find the needle, and the two doctors spent hours searching for it, eventually closing up Faas' abdomen without locating it.
