The Challenge:

The number one preventable harm on the CMS list of non-reimbursable conditions is ”objects left in the body during surgery” and the Joint Commission now requires all hospitals to report such events. The system most widely used for screening of retained items after surgery is a very simple one: counting the items before and after their use to check for discrepancies. It is well known, however, that counting is highly prone to errors. Miscounts can occur in up to 10 percent of open cavity surgeries, even where the count had been reported as correct.

The Impact:

Miscounts are costly and have timely actions needed to rectify the discrepancy (recounts, post X-rays, etc). The costs of retrieving and treating an infection caused by a foreign object can cost $50,000 or more.

The Prevention Above All Intervention:

RF-Detect, a patented detection system that accurately alerts the OR nurse when a RF-tagged surgical items remain in the patient before closing the procedure. The system consists of three components: a micro RF tag embedded in gauze, sponges and towels and a sterile handheld wand that is connected to the third component, an easy-to-use, self-calibrating console. By passing the wand back and forth and side to side over the patient, hospital personnel will be able to accurately detect, within seconds, retained surgical disposables before site closure.