User:Cluck09

Mistakes and Consequences
In any given typical surgery, there are an estimated 250-300 surgical tools used. . The number jumps to a whopping 600 for larger surgeries. WIth the number of tools used, it isn't a mysterious that every so often a tool gets left behind.

There are many different types of tools that have been forgotten and left behind during a surgery. Common instruments are needles, knife blades, safety pins, scalpels, clamps, scissors, sponges, towels, and electrosurgical adapters. Some other less common tools that have been left behind are “Tweezers  Forceps  Clamps  Retractors,  Distractors,  Dilators  Suction tips and tubes tubes  Irrigation and injection needles, tips and tubes  Scopes and probes  Carriers and appliers for optical, electronic and mechanical devices  Ultrasound tissue disruptors, cryotomes and cutting laser guides Measurement devices, such as rulers and calipers” –nursinglink.com The most common left behind object is a sponge. Gossypidboma. “The word is bilingually derived from Gossypium (Latin) : cotton and Boma (Kiswahili) : place of concealment. It can occur as a complication of almost any surgical procedure such as cardiothoracic surgery¹, exploratory laparotomy², gynaecologic procedures, internal fixation of fractures³ and even after neurosurgical procedures[sup4].” “Furthermore, diagnostic difficulties exist since gossypibomas may present with the entire spectrum ranging from asymptomatic to producing severe life-threatening illness.” (1) “1 in 100 to 1 in 5000. Hard to know, many go unreported.” – www.ahrq.gov “Study published in the Annal of Surgery in Aug. 2008 showed a miscount of tools and sponges in 12.5% of surgeries” www.health-careinformatics.com “1,500 tools stitched into patients per year.” www.hcpro.com Surgical tools left in the body can puncture vital organs and blood vessels, causing internal bleeding which doesn’t heal easily. Sponges can fester inside a body. Additional operations may be necessary, taking the surgical table away from other patients with urgent needs. With surgeries using between 250 and 300 instruments, and more than 600 for larger surgeries, it isn’t a mystery that some tools get left behind during the surgery. In fact, it is quite miraculous that there aren’t more encounters. Still, people insist on perfect health care, something the Institute of Medicine says is an unattainable goal. – To Err is Human.