Man died after Blade was left in body during surgery for cancer

South Carolina has paid $1 million to the estate of a man who died within days after it was discovered a blade was left in his body during surgery.

On June 15, 2022, Jeffrey Fulcher underwent what would be “minimally invasive” surgery to remove part of his esophagus, after being diagnosed with localized carcinoma in the lower part of the esophagus, according to News from Cleveland 19 and WCSC.

During the surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), a Thompson retractor blade “fell into or was placed inside Fulcher’s abdominal cavity,” the outlets reported, citing documents from a lawsuit.

Dr. Ian Rosenzweig, who recommended the surgery and operated on Fulcher, failed to see or remove the blade before closing his body. For the next two days, doctors insisted that Fulcher was “fine” despite his complaints of abdominal pain.

Fulcher’s family noted a “decline in his condition” during a hospital visit on June 19, 2022, while his heart rate was also monitored at over 100 beats per minute.

An X-ray was eventually ordered for Fulcher along with an X-ray report indicating a medical emergency requiring immediate intervention, Cleveland News 19 reported, citing the lawsuit.

It wasn’t until five days after the first operation that the roll-up blade was discovered in the father-of-three’s body, according to the extract.

Fulcher’s wife received a call from Rosenzweig who allegedly explained that her husband would have to undergo a “quick twenty minute” surgical procedure to remove the blade.

Over six hours after the blade was discovered, an exploratory laparotomy was performed on Fulcher to remove his entire colon. He also had a second emergency procedure to detect possible intestinal ischemia, according to Cleveland 19 News.

The blade had perforated Fulcher’s colon, causing severe pain. He died at 2:30 p.m. local time on June 21, 2022.

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Fulcher’s cause of death was determined to be sepsis, peritonitis and colon perforation, along with the instrument left in his body during surgery, according to Cleveland 19 News.

The Medical University of South Carolina was declared liable for Fulcher’s death in the lawsuit, citing gross negligence and willful breach of duty, according to the outlet.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Medical University of South Carolina for comment.