Surgeons can use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to detect sponges left behind in patients’ bodies.
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Surgeons using RFID tags (Photo: pravda) |
Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in the UK conducted experiments by intentionally leaving RFID-tagged sponges in eight patients undergoing abdominal or pelvic surgeries.
Doctors and nurses then scanned the patients with a detection device that emitted a sound upon identifying the sponge.
Results showed that the device consistently detected the RFID-tagged sponge. However, researchers noted that the device could produce false negatives if scanned from too far away or if the wrong body part was scanned.
Dr. Alex Macario, the lead anesthesiologist of the study, stated that the future will witness a combination of identification tags with other techniques, such as counting instruments and sponges before and after surgery.
Previous research found that healthcare staff left foreign objects, mostly sponges, in patients’ bodies in 1 out of every 10,000 surgeries, leading to complications and even fatalities.
RFID tags are commonly used for tracking luggage, preventing counterfeiting, and reducing theft.
M.T
