What is the surgical count?
Surgical counting is the process of accounting for all surgical items before, during and at the conclusion of a surgical procedure to ensure that no items are left inside the patient.
Who is responsible for the surgical count?
The registered nurse is accountable for counts during the surgical procedure. Count procedure should be performed by two persons (scrub and circulating nurse), one of whom shall be a registered nurse.
How are counted items prepackaged in surgery?
The scrub person and the circulating nurse together count all items before the surgical procedure begins and during the surgical procedure as each additional package is opened and added to the sterile field. These initial counts provide the baseline for subsequent counts.
Why there is a need to count all the accountable items throughout the operative procedure?
Counts are performed to account for all items and to lessen the potential for injury to the patient as a result of a retained foreign body. Complete and accurate counting procedures help promote optimal perioperative patient outcomes and demonstrate the perioperative practitioners commitment to patient safety.
What is sponge count?
A sponge count is necessary for surgical procedures when the depth or the location of the wound may allow a sponge to be left undetected in the wound.
What should be considered as counted items?
Any item that has the potential to be lost within a body space must be counted. These include all needles used within the sterile field, scalpel blades, and electrosurgical tips and bovie sheathes.
When should sponge counts be performed?
On all major procedures, sponge counts are made before closing; peritoneum, fascia, skin. On all minor procedures, sponge counts are made before closing; fascia, skin. Only one closing count is required for tonsillectomy, hand and foot cases.
What is a sponge count?
The scrub will count the sponges with the circulating RN at the first opportunity. An RN must witness the count. A sponge count is necessary for surgical procedures when the depth or the location of the wound may allow a sponge to be left undetected in the wound.
What is swab count policy?
Introduction and General Principles. The overriding principle for the count is that all swabs, instruments and needles MUST be accounted for at ALL times during an invasive surgical procedure or vaginal birth to prevent foreign body retention and subsequent injury to the patient.
What happens if a sponge is left in you after surgery?
Otherwise known as retained surgical items, these objects can cause localized pain, discomfort and bloating. In some cases, they can lead to sepsis or death. “In two-thirds of these cases, there were serious consequences, whether that’s infection or even death,” said Dr.
Why is a surgical count performed?
The surgical count is an integral component of the perioperative nurse’s role designed to reduce the risk of unintentional retained items (URIs) during surgery.