Though rare, incidents of surgical objects left in patients post-procedure do happen. Such events can trigger a host of undesirable consequences for the patient, surgical staff and healthcare facilities. (Beginning in October, Medicare will withhold payment of additional costs associated with these and other medical errors. See https://www.dotmed.com/news/story/5990)

Current medical practice holds clinical staff responsible for conducting sponge and instrument counts. But counting alone may not eliminate the problem.

Products are entering the market that are designed to help hospitals reduce the likelihood of objects being retained in patients. Currently, two suppliers have been granted clearance to market systems using radio-frequency (RF)-detectable surgical sponge technology. ECRI Institute, an independent, nonprofit organization that researches the best approaches to improving patient care, recently evaluated the two detection systems: ClearCount Medical's SmartSponge System and RF Surgical's RF Surgical Detection System.
RF-detectable sponge systems are intended to improve patient safety by facilitating detection of a retained sponge before the patient's surgical wound is closed, thereby lessening the likelihood that the wound would need to be reopened.

Additionally, the use of RF-detectable sponge systems may offer hospitals greater convenience, as well as potential savings in time and money, by reducing or eliminating the need for lengthier and possibly costlier x-ray scans to determine whether a sponge has been left in a patient.

RF-detectable sponge systems offer promise. Even so, suppliers and ECRI Institute advise using systems as a supplement to staff manual sponge counts-not a replacement for the process.

The July 2008 Health Devices issue takes an in-depth look at the two systems currently on the market, including a side-by-side comparative evaluation and assessment of the products' capabilities and their effect on workflow, cost, and space issues. ECRI Institute researchers also address the clinical and business impact of RF-detectable surgical sponge systems. The issue includes selection guidance and purchasing recommendations to assist hospitals and stand-alone surgical centers.

This evaluation, titled "Radio-Frequency Surgical Sponge Detection," is published in Health Devices, a monthly journal provided to members of ECRI Institute's Health Devices System, Health Devices Gold, and SELECTplus™ programs. Health Devices features comparative, brand-name evaluations of medical devices and systems based on extensive laboratory testing and clinical studies. ECRI Institute's evaluations focus on the safety, performance, efficacy, and human factors design of specific medical devices and technologies.

Adapted from a press release from ECRI Institute, www.ecri.org

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