A Kentucky dentist is facing a lawsuit after allegedly dropping an implant screwdriver down a patient's throat that had to be surgically removed from her digestive tract, according to an article in the Lexington Herald-Leader.
The 71-year-old woman is seeking compensatory damages from W.B. Galbreath, DDS. An x-ray in Fayette County Circuit Court file displays an image of the screwdriver in the woman's pelvic region, the article stated. The woman had surgery on June 23, 2011 to remove it.
Dr. Galbreath was cleaning the woman's implants when he mishandled the tool and the woman reflexively swallowed it, the article noted. She was not able to induce vomiting.
According to the lawsuit, Dr. Galbreath told the woman to have x-rays taken at a nearby chiropractor's office. She brought them back to the dentist, who saw the tool and instructed his patient to eat a diet high in fiber and to look for it in her bowel movements. When she did not pass it, she went to the hospital a month later.
