Brazil Hospital Probed After Family Alleges Clamp Was Left in Patient Who Later Died

Overview

• Manoel Cardoso de Brito, 68, died on December 24 after undergoing two operations at the municipal hospital in João Pinheiro, Minas Gerais.
• Relatives allege a surgical clamp was left in his body after the first procedure, a concern that surfaced after a local radio publicized a CT image.
• In an official note, the health department confirmed the removal of a foreign body during the December 11 reoperation and reported no intestinal perforation with prior sutures intact.
• The municipality says it reinforced patient safety protocols, notified Anvisa, and opened an internal inquiry, while Civil Police investigations continue.
• The family's lawyer is seeking full medical and administrative records, and relatives say they were not informed of the reason for the second surgery or asked for formal authorization.