PMID: 11339468May 8, 2001Paper

Retained surgical sponges, a denied neurosurgical reality? Cautionary note

Neurosurgical Review
G MarquardtV Seifert

Abstract

Surgically acquired foreign bodies are well known but not widely reported. Only seven articles pertaining to this subject were found in the current neurosurgical literature. Are they a denied neurosurgical reality? In this report with a concededly provoking title, the authors elucidate clinical and medicolegal aspects of retained surgical sponges, with emphasis on spinal procedures. To highlight particulars, a case is presented in which a retained surgical sponge was encountered as the cause of progressive low back pain and tender swelling in the scar area after instrumented posterolateral lumbar spinal fusion combined with pedicle screw fixation for lumbosacral spondylolisthesis 4 years earlier. However, until today, no reported neurosurgical patient has suffered a serious complication due to a retained surgical sponge. The authors wish to remind the neurosurgical community to learn from unpleasant clinical and medicolegal experiences in other specialties before serious complications occur, and we suggest rigorous standardization of intraoperative habits to avoid this hazardous complication.

Citations

Jun 1, 2006·European Spine Journal : Official Publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society·Ali Ihsan OktenYurdal Gezercan
Apr 13, 2013·Best Practice & Research. Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology·Montasser A MahranEdward P Morris
Dec 25, 2007·Annals of Surgery·Natalia N EgorovaGiampaolo Greco
Apr 26, 2005·Neurologia Medico-chirurgica·Mehmet TurgutFüruzan Kacar
Jul 21, 2010·Neurology India·Aliasgar V MoiyadiAnil D'Cruz
Aug 3, 2011·Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice·Baris KucukyurukAli M Kafadar
Nov 29, 2011·World Neurosurgery·Ali AkhaddarMohamed Boucetta
May 22, 2007·Current Problems in Surgery·Verna C GibbsH David Reines
Mar 4, 2008·Surgical Neurology·Tomas MenovskyJoost de Vries
Mar 31, 2015·World Neurosurgery·Wangjian Thomas LuoDavid Douglas Cochrane
Mar 25, 2017·Spine·Ali MeshkiniSeyed Ahmad Naseri Alavi
Jan 22, 2018·Skeletal Radiology·Josephina A VossenCurtis W Hayes
Sep 1, 2015·BMC Research Notes·Aykut AkpinarCengiz Omer Ozdemir
Feb 22, 2017·Brain Pathology·Tafadzwa MandiwanzaFrancesca Brett

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