A Sydney hospital has apologised after a surgical needle was left in a young mother’s uterus following a cesarean section.

Thi Nguyen, 19, had to have a second operation at Fairfield Hospital on Wednesday to remove the needle after she’d earlier that day had a baby boy.

“After the surgery, they left a needle tip inside her, and they didn’t even tell me when they commenced the second surgery,” her husband told the Nine Network on Saturday.

South Western Local Health District chief executive Amanda Larkin offered a “sincere apology” to the couple for any distress caused.

“Fairfield Hospital wishes to stress this is not a clinician error but a suspected product fault which was discovered quickly through hospital procedures and processes,” she said in a statement on Saturday.

“Staff did all that they could at the time to ensure Ms Nguyen was informed through a Vietnamese staff member about the need for the additional procedure.”

A similar incident occurred with the same type of suture and needle the following day.

As a result, the product was removed from use, and the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission, the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the manufacturer were all notified.

A safety alert has been issued across NSW.