Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has been found to be 100% effective in terms of sensitivity and specificity in patients of varying body size. This assertion is detailed in the first published data from RF Surgical Systems, Inc, Bellevue, WA, on the potential uses of RFID in applications for identifying retained surgical items (RSI).

The study, which included morbidly obese patients, addresses the concern that, “surgical count discrepancies can occur as often as one out of eight surgical cases, and sponges are more difficult to find in morbidly obese patients,” according to Victoria M. Steelman, lead author of the study. The results of the study suggest that RF technology is more accurate than intraoperative radiography technology or manual counting methods currently used.

Retained surgical items are an especially high concern during bariatric procedures because patients with high body mass index (BMI) are at a greater risk for RSI. By employing RFID technology during item counting, operating room personnel can improve patient safety. RF Surgical Systems’ technology behind this study accommodates high BMI and offers a dual-detection mode feature. The company’s Blair-Port Wand, for example, can be used to scan a patient for RFID-tagged items, and the RF Assure mat can be used to automatically identify objects. These devices are designed to safely and accurately read through deep cavity tissue, fluids, and bone to detect if any tagged surgical sponges, gauze, or towels remain in a patient following surgery or procedures performed in emergency, trauma, labor, and delivery.

“As adjunctive technology to prevent retained surgical items is increasingly being used in the OR, it is important to ensure the specificity and sensitivity of the technology on all patients, including more challenging cases of those with higher BMI,” says Steelman. “RF detection technology is a valuable check-and-balance for ensuring the prevention of RSI during bariatric procedures.”

Published in the Feb 1 edition of the American Journal of Surgery, “Sensitivity of Detection of Radiofrequency Surgical Sponges” comprises data from 210 subjects who were studied at an academic medical center and a U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical center.  A total of 840 readings were conducted, none of which registered as incorrect readings, and 404 of which were from morbidly obese subjects.