Ore. Man Sues Hospital Over Wire Left in Chest

A Waldport, Ore., man has sued Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center over a 10-inch length of wire he claims was left in his chest following heart surgery.

The lawsuit filed by 76-year-old Ben Sebastiani also names Dr. Mark Taylor, a cardiac surgeon with Samaritan Heart and Vascular Institute, and physician’s assistant Charla LeAnn Pickett as defendants.

Sebastiani says he didn’t know the wire was there until a year after the December 2007 operation.

Sebastiani sought treatment for an abscess that appeared on his torso and wouldn’t heal.

The lawsuit, filed in Benton County Circuit Court, seeks $20,000 in economic damages and $250,000 for pain and suffering, plus legal fees.