True, it is hard to defend it. Although, we’re assuming it was Carson who was solely to blame.
I’ve never seen a surgery performed with one person in the room. And the technician who hands the instruments to the surgeon is also responsible for taking inventory before the patient is sewn shut.
I’d say there’s two possibilities:
Carson recklessly performed a surgery, leaving the sponge inside; OR
Carson was mistakenly told, “Yes, doctor, all instruments are accounted for”.
Ultimately Carson is responsible, but he’s also a human being relying on other human beings.
Yeah, I’m not in medicine. But the top guy not only usually has to be responsible for this stuff, but he also in this case apparently legally is.
So there must be a legal expectation of a standard of responsibility and care to make sure no sponges are left in a patient’s frigging brain!