Surgical objects left inside | Morning Newsletter
And DnD fans unite at Philly bars.
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The Morning Newsletter
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Greetings and good luck to those traveling north on I-95 this morning. Closures are expected for at least another day as crews repair the damage left by a tractor-trailer crash near the Betsy Ross Bridge/Aramingo Avenue Interchange. Watch out for flooding as you navigate the area.
When surgical objects are left in patients’ bodies after they leave the operating table, they’re called “never events” because they are so preventable, they should never happen. Yet an Inquirer investigation found over 200 of these accidents recorded at Philadelphia-area hospitals in the past six years.
And Dungeons & Dragons fans are finding community at bar pop-up events across the region. Here’s what you need to know today.
— Julie Zeglen (@juliezeglen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Sponges. Catheter fragments. Six feet of surgical gauze.
All objects that have been found in patients’ bodies after surgery at Philadelphia-area hospitals.
Over 200 of these “never events” have been recorded at 39 local hospitals in the past six years. While rare, these accidents can be catastrophic to patients’ health. Safeguards to prevent them, such as using X-rays or simply counting the number of items at hand before and after surgery, too often fail.
“I still have pain, anxiety,” said a woman who was left with a surgical sponge in her abdomen after an emergency C-section. “This shouldn’t have happened.”
The Inquirer’s Wendy Ruderman, Sarah Gantz, and Dylan Purcell investigate why these events happen, how they can be avoided, and where patient safety law falls short.
P.S. If you work in the health field, be sure to subscribe to Philly Health Insider. The Inquirer’s first newsletter dedicated to the region’s eds and meds sector features accountability and data-driven journalism like this every Wednesday.
What you should know today
Amid a yearslong understaffing crisis, nearly a quarter of Philadelphia government jobs sit vacant. But officials say hiring is finally outpacing the rate of people leaving.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker publicly introduced the nine members of her school board Tuesday. She also outlined her priorities for the board: The district must tackle its facilities crisis, work on teacher recruitment and retention, and bring year-round education to the city.
The body of a man recovered in the Schuylkill River over the weekend is that of a 21-year-old who had been missing for three weeks, according to his father. The man’s 18-year-old friend remains missing.
Members of a city-appointed advisory panel panned the Sixers plan for a downtown arena on Tuesday, calling it “undercooked” and questioning whether construction would repeat harmful mistakes of the past.
After a tumultuous year, Philadelphia’s Citizens Police Oversight Commission is set to hire its first permanent executive director: Tonya McClary, a former top police watchdog in Dallas.
The first of 10 satellite election offices, meant to be a one-stop shop for voting by mail, just opened in West Philly. P.S. The registration deadline for the primary is April 8.
Inquirer columnist Will Bunch joined MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell on Monday night to discuss his column on the immigrants who died in the Baltimore bridge disaster last week. ICYMI, read his thoughtful tribute here.
Back in 1994, the Phillies switched to blue hats for day games. Players decided they were bad omens that needed to be destroyed.
“As an employee of Comcast, I’m contractually obligated to say that I have always found Philly to be America’s finest city, full of its most refined intellectuals.” We’ll allow it, Seth Meyers.
Looking for way to have a beer, meet new people, and boost your strategy skills all at the same time? We know a place.
Novices and experts alike are flocking to Philly bars to play Dungeons & Dragons, the tabletop roleplaying game that turns 50 this year. Pop-up events hosted by Dungeons n Drafts are so popular, they’ve expanded to six new cities.
“I play a lot of other board games, and they’re all ultra-competitive. You’re there to beat the person across the table from you,” Dungeons n Drafts cofounder Thomas Solar said. “With DnD, it’s okay to have a laugh and be friends.”
Doesn’t sound like a bad way to pass a Wednesday night. Beatrice Forman goes deep into the lore.
🧠 Trivia time
How old is the Defender Association of Philadelphia, which connects those accused of a crime to free legal help?
A) 10 years
B) 50 years
C) 90 years
D) 150 years
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🎸 Donning: Our best wool sweaters for the Bob Dylan biopic filming in Cape May.
🍸 Applauding: The local winners of Food & Wine’s Global Tastemakers Awards.
🤖 Avoiding: Deepfakes and AI-generated misinformation in the 2024 presidential election.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Philly drag queen Sapphira Cristál has been snapping up wins on the latest season of this Emmy Award-winning reality competition show. She’s now in the top four.
GUARDER SCAPULAR
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Carol Basile, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: NextFab. That’s the Philly org offering digital hardware and software tools — and of late, AI know-how — to members at its makerspaces in Point Breeze and Kensington.
Photo of the day
Wishing you an easy Wednesday. See you back in your inbox tomorrow!
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