Re: OR room x-ray patient for spounge count

["Dept of Radiography, Canterbury Christ Church College" <c.d.jeffery@canterbury.ac.uk>]

On Fri, 12 Dec 1997 12:18:11 -0600 (CST) Richard Wu wrote:
> 
> One of the surgent in our place routinely x-ray patinets after surgery =
> to make sure no spounges are left in the patinets. This is in addition =
> to spounge count that he has already done (sort of double verification). =
> Those spounges can be clearly seen on x-ray. Can someone coment on this. =
> =20
> Thanks.
>

Quite frankly I find this practice appalling and any radiographic technologist who complies with, or a 
radiologist who condones, a request  for routine radiological verification should be asked to reread the 
appropriate bits of the ICRP recomendations. This is course assuming that your typical OR staff can count and 
do not have visual defects such that they cannot recognise sponges and swabs when they are hanging on a rack, 
I hadn't realised that things had got quite so bad in the US

Checking AFTER a discepancy has ben identified and  AFTER second and third counts and AFTER  the surgeon 
has had a visual inspection of the wound is of course good practice, that is why the radiopaque threads are 
incorporated.

And what does the radiophobic patient think about it, anyone asking, (you will note I use the British 
terminology rather than "ordering"), in this case the surgeon, for an unnecessary x-ray examination had better 
look to their insurers. This might be thought extreme, but if we are going to accept this practice then maybe all 
patients undergoing any dental surgery, fillings to flossing, should have a Chest XR, after all, they may have 
unknowingly inhaled something!

Chris Jeffery  MSc
Senior Lecturer in Radiation Science and Technology
Canterbury Christ Church College,   UK

The opinions expressed are my own and do not reflect those of my colleagues or employer.
(But in this case, I would be surprised if they didn't)