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rack open a pack of sponges and count them before
and after the procedure to make sure the same num-
ber that go into the patient also come out before the
surgeon sews up the incision. Seems like a simple
enough process. So why do sponges account for
upwards of 70% of all retained surgical items? Perhaps because
most retained sponges occur after incorrect manual counts staff
assumed were accurate.
"There's always the possibility of the Swiss cheese effect — errors
can occur even when several layers of preventative measures are in
place," says Deb Hedrick, BSN, MA, RN, CSSM, NEA-BC, director of
perioperative services at Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge,
Counts Aren't Always Correct
Barcode scanning and RFID detection
help to make sure no sponge is left behind.
Daniel Cook | Editor-in-Chief
• HIGH-TECH HELP Platforms designed to prevent
retained objects should augment manual counts, not
replace them.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
