Stillborn Fetus Found in Hospital’s Laundry

An 18-week-old stillborn fetus removed from the mother last week at Simi Valley Hospital was found Monday in a batch of laundry being done by a service outside the hospital, a hospital official said Thursday.

The mother of the fetus, which weighed about half a pound, came to the hospital Aug. 10 for surgery and was notified Wednesday the fetus had been found mixed in with laundry that was reportedly washed and dried, the official said.

Although hospital officials learned of the situation Monday, they were unable to reach the mother until Wednesday, the official said. An employee of the laundry service allegedly notified the hospital of the incident.

Hospital officials released a statement late Thursday in which they expressed “deepest condolences to the family,” and said “this type of incident has never occurred. ... We are saddened by this occurrence and will spare no effort to examine our processes so that this does not happen again,” according to the statement.

A hospital source said the case would be investigated.