Proper surgery overshadowed by careless handover of biopsy sample and delayed referral
Issue -
March - 2026, Posted On: 01 March 2026
A patient was admitted with abdominal pain and diagnosed with gallbladder stones. Surgery to remove the gallbladder was performed without complication, and the patient was discharged with post-operative advice. On the face of it, the surgical intervention itself raised no red flags. The trouble began after discharge.
As per standard protocol, the removed gallbladder should have been immediately preserved and sent for histopathological examination. Instead, the specimen was allowed to leave the hospital with the patient and reached the diagnostic centre much later. When the report eventually confirmed gallbladder cancer, valuable time had already been lost.