RFID keeps track of sponges after surgery

ClearCount Medical Solutions has selected NXP RFID to enable its SmartSponge System to detect and account for surgical sponges placed in a patient’s body when undergoing surgery, so that no items are left behind.

The system comprises RFID-enabled surgical sponges, an embedded RFID reader within an automated software accounting system, an accompanying SmartWand to detect sponges accidently retained within the body and disposal to account for discarded sponges.

David Palmer, CEO of ClearCount, said: “Our SmartWand-DTX and SmartSponge System, the first Food and Drug Administration-cleared RFID-based platform for the operating theatre, can help save patients from serious complications that can arise when surgical sponges are left behind.”

The incidence of retained foreign objects in surgical patients is difficult to estimate, partly because they can remain in the body undetected for years.

A 2008 study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons reported that foreign objects were left behind in one out of every 5500 surgical procedures. In abdominal surgeries, retained foreign objects are estimated to occur in one out of every 1000 to 1500 surgical procedures.

Surgical sponges are widely reported to be the most common RFO, because they can be difficult to visually detect once they are saturated in blood. A landmark article in The New England Journal of Medicine reported that sponges accounted for 69% of the retained foreign objects studied. Further, even when counts of sponges and other surgical instruments had been performed, 88% of cases involved a final count that had been falsely thought to be correct.

In complex, time-critical operations, especially where multiple surgeons are involved, the possibility of retained foreign surgical devices within the patient is unfortunately a reality, and the results can be life threatening.

Surgical sponges can be counted manually or with the assistance of a barcode reader, but neither of these methods can identify any blood-soaked sponges that are hidden in the body.

The RFID-based system enhances accountability with a unique read before, during and after the surgery, that improves accuracy as well as patient safety.

Each SmartSponge is identifiable, with a serial number that can be acquired wirelessly, even if accidently left within the body, by waving the SmartWand over the patient.

RFID-enabled SmartSponges are packaged in predefined quantities. As the package is waved over an RFID reader, the unique serial numbers of the SmartSponges are read and the system ensures a match with the predetermined package count.

A SmartBucket configured with an RFID reader enables the system to directly account for all sponges entering into and exiting the sterile field. The SmartWand can be used to scan the patient to ensure no sponges are left inside the patient.