Man wants compensation for 9 years of living with scissors left in stomach during surgery

MOSTAR, Bosnia-Herzegovina, June 10 (UPI) -- A man from Bosnia-Herzegovina has filed a lawsuit claiming that he was forced to live in pain for nine years after doctors left a pair of scissors in his stomach during 2003 ulcer surgery.

Alen Papac claims that doctors at Mostar Hospital accidentally left a 4.7-inch-long pair of scissors in his stomach during the routine operation.

After nine years of living in discomfort, Papac got himself checked out and the scissors showed up on an x-ray of his stomach.

"I would suffer from agonizing pains in my stomach for years after that and I have also had other health problems which I now realize were related to the fact that I had a pair of scissors in my stomach," Papac told the Croatian Times.

Papac had emergency surgery to remove the misplaced shears and contacted the hospital about receiving compensation for his uncomfortable ordeal.

"I told them that they might have been shocked, but they weren't as shocked as I was after seeing the reason for my 'health problems' over all these years," Papac said.

The hospital refused to discuss compensation, so Papac filed his lawsuit.