surgical scissors left inside the body after operation – photo courtesy – Researchgate
In a recent shocking news update, a woman was found to carry a retained surgical scissors inside her body for 12 long years. It was sheer negligence that happened 12 years ago in an operation that removed her appendix. The lady experienced sustained pain in her body for 12 long years.
This created a huge uproar in the state with people demanding prosecution and cancellation of license.
The fact is that it is a simple procedural mistake but it is also true that it carries a huge ramification for the hospital and the doctor involved. It can cause both the surgeon and the hospital significant reputation damage if not the business. If you are wondering if this happens only rarely, US National Library of Medicine asserts that for every 10,000 operation 1.3 such incidences can happen in average. In India the number most likely is much higher.
Can a hospital eliminate this risk?
Yes, absolutely. A hospital needs to upgrade its CSSD operation to ensure that after every operation all instruments returned are tallied against used list of instruments. It is tedious considering the number of operations a hospital has to do every day.
RTLS makes it fast and error-free
Using a special autoclave-safe RFID tag attached to every surgical instrument, a hospital CSSD can track every instrument. INDTRAC provides custom-made solution to suit the special needs for every CSSD.