A Sponge, Callie? Really?
Dr. Callie Torres, on the show, is considered one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the country. She was even the Head of Orthopedic Surgery at one point. Yet she made an insane call. Perhaps one of the most discussed incidents in the history of Grey’s Anatomy surrounds this move in Season 10. In the backdrop of the show, we’re told a well-known snowboarder named Travis Reed is in need of a hip replacement. While this would be pretty easy, Reed asks if Callie can do a “Smith-Peterson Resurfacing Hip Joint” instead. Apparently, his friend had this done and was back to boarding quickly.
While nervous to do this, since she never had before, she agreed. During the surgery, however, Travis became unstable. That required Callie to close things up quicker than normal. She knew she left a sponge behind inside his body as it could not be located quickly. They did an X-Ray to find it but Reed ended up with an infection. Multiple issues occurred from clots to murmurs and Reed’s leg had to be amputated. He rightly sued over this, and in almost every single case of something similar like this occurring, the patient won. Not only was Callie not found liable for anything, she was not reprimanded by the hospital at all either.