A New York mother says she endured years of unexplained pain before doctors finally discovered a roughly 1.5-inch surgical needle inside her abdomen, according to a newly filed medical malpractice lawsuit.
Jana Petriganova DeGregoris, of Scarsdale, is suing Mount Sinai Hospital and three doctors over the alleged medical error.
DeGregoris is herself a cardiothoracic nurse practitioner who has worked within the Mount Sinai health system since 2013.
According to the lawsuit, she underwent a C-section at Mount Sinai on June 28, 2018.
Doctors Isabel Blumberg and Philip Torina were involved in the procedure and plastic surgery wound closure, according to court records.
More than three years later, on Nov. 17, 2021, DeGregoris underwent another abdominal operation.
That procedure included an abdominoplasty, commonly known as a tummy tuck, along with laparoscopic repair of an umbilical hernia.
Doctors Scott Nguyen and Torina were involved in that surgery, the lawsuit says.
DeGregoris now claims that during one of those two procedures, a surgical needle measuring about 38 millimeters, or roughly 1.5 inches, was negligently left inside her abdomen.
The lawsuit does not establish which operation allegedly resulted in the retained object.
DeGregoris says she suffered serious physical pain and injuries for years without knowing what was causing them.
The mystery allegedly continued until Oct. 14, 2025, when a CT scan revealed the foreign object inside her abdomen.
She later underwent another operation to have the needle removed.
DeGregoris and her husband, Gerard DeGregoris, filed their lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court on Sept. 24.
They accuse Mount Sinai and the three doctors of medical malpractice and negligence and are seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
The filing alleges that the object was left behind “negligently, carelessly and improperly.”
If the needle was left during the 2018 C-section, it could have remained inside her for more than seven years before being discovered.
If it came from the 2021 surgery, it would still have gone unnoticed for nearly four years.
The case has attracted additional attention because DeGregoris works in the same hospital system she is now suing.
According to her professional profile, she has worked as a cardiothoracic nurse practitioner at Mount Sinai for more than a decade.
Mount Sinai and the doctors named in the lawsuit had not publicly responded to the allegations as of the latest reporting.
The couple’s attorney also declined to comment.
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