Conrad v. Lakewood General Hospital

— A hemostat is a metal, scissor-like surgical instrument. The device is used by surgeons to check bleeding in the operative field by compressing the tissue or bleeding blood vessels. The plaintiff herein, Mrs. E. M. Conrad, underwent surgery for a malfunctioning gall bladder on June 21, 1963. During the course of the operation, several hemostats were used by the surgeon and his assistant to clamp off blood vessels in the area in which the surgeon and his assistant were working. Unfortunately, one hemostat— not insignificant in size, being approximately 5% inches in length and 2% inches in…