[A residual gauze after cardiac surgery]

Gossypiboma, a rare but clinically significant complication of surgery, is defined as a surgical gauze left inside the patient by accident. Here, we describe a case of gossypiboma of a 45-year-old Syrian patient who presented at the emergency department with chest pain after a pulmonary valve replacement two years ago. Initial investigations, including ECG and blood tests, showed no acute abnormalities. However, a chest X-ray revealed a mass with radio-opaque marker, later identified on CT as retained surgical gauze. Conservative management with pain relief was chosen given risks outweigh the benefits of surgery at this stage. This case highlights the importance of maintaining a broad differential diagnosis, even with potential external influences such as legal or social issues. Preventative measures, including thorough surgical counts and the use of radio-opaque markers, remain essential to avoid such complications.