If you have been operated on, one of the biggest worries a person has is the fear that the doctor might leave something in you. If that happens, usually if it is an inert object like metal, there will hopefully be less damage. Nonetheless, leaving a needle or metal object inside a person can be very painful and is simply inexcusable. As far as items like sponges, it is even worse. These sort of items can kill in very little time. If the doctor’s don’t recognize what is going on, a person can die in a matter of days from a sponge left in him or her.