count — it just tells you that there's a sponge in the patient's body
somewhere.
You can also place a radio frequency detection mat under the
patient on the OR table that connects to the same console as the
wand. Instead of reading down — like the wand would if you were
scanning the top of your patient — the mat reads upward. If there is a
tagged sponge left inside your patient, you'll get an audible signal as
you do with the wand.
The mat does not need a sterile covering because it remains beneath
the sterile field. This allows for less interruption than the wand device
because it is hands-free. The scrub person does not need to stop the
flow of surgery to drape it and scan the patient. If you use the mat,
you don't necessarily have to use the wand. They both perform the
same procedure.
If the sponge isn't detected in the patient, you can then search the
trash. Rather than digging through the trash with our hands and possi-
bly contaminating the surgical field, we can wave the wand over the
trash can, and if the beep goes off, then we can more closely examine
J U L Y 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 9 5
You do your best to
be vigilant in keeping
track of your soft goods,
but when humans are
involved, that means there
is always the possibility
for errors to occur.
