A shocking incident in New Zealand has left everyone baffled as a surgical tool was left inside a woman's abdomen for a staggering 18 months following a caesarean section. Here's a summary of the incident:The woman experienced excruciating pain for a year and a half after her caesarean section surgery, unaware that a retractor, approximately the size of a dinner plate, had been left inside her abdomen.The alarming oversight came to light when a CT scan was finally performed, revealing the presence of the instrument.Health regulators have strongly criticized the public hospital system for this grave failure, stating that the level of care provided was far below the required standard. The retractor should have been identified and removed during routine surgical checks.Health and Disability Commissioner Morag McDowell remarked, "It is self-evident that the care provided fell below the appropriate standard because the was not identified during any routine surgical checks, resulting in it being left inside the woman's abdomen."Medical staff involved in the procedure have been unable to explain how the retractor ended up in the abdominal cavity or why it went unnoticed before the incision was closed.The specific instrument involved is an Alexis wound protector-retractor, commonly used in surgical procedures.A surgical team at Auckland City Hospital initially replaced the first Alexis wound retractor with a larger one, but the second retractor was inadvertently left inside the woman's abdomen, as revealed in the Commissioner's report.X-ray scans failed to detect the retractor because it is considered a "non-radiopaque item." It was only traced through a CT scan.This incident marks the second time in two years that a medical device has been left inside a patient at an Auckland hospital, according to the Commissioner's report.