New tech to prevent losing sponges inside patients

Probably one of the scariest things that can come to mind when a person thinks "invasive surgery" is whether or not the medical team will accidentally sew you up with an extra sponge inside. That ranks right up there with the fear of being medically paralyzed while still conscious. In fact, did you know about 1,500 patients end up with stuff left in their bodies each year?

Most of these objects are sponges, which no doubt cause complications down the road. Doctors are human too, after all. Thankfully a very non-human technology is starting to gain traction that could really help medical professionals keep track of sponges easier. Enter Loyola University Medical Center. This is the first facility in the Midwest to use the new system that could potentially save lives.

This is how it works: Each sponge has a unique bar code, much like grocery store items. Before it actually be used on your body during surgery, it has to be scanned into the system. Only an authorized individual keeping count can track the sponges. If a sponge goes in or comes out, it gets scanned. The system will throw a tantrum if a doctor tries to end the procedure with an improper count of returned sponges. This won't replace the good old fashioned hand-count, but it will certainly help. Let's hope more hospitals adopt the new technology across the country.