DEVICE TO DETECT SPONGES A new hand-held scanning device similar to the wands used by airport security personnel could help surgeons detect surgical sponges accidentally left inside patients, according to research from Stanford University. To work, the technique requires that surgical sponges have radio ID chips inserted in them, but this device could help prevent up to two-thirds of mishaps involving foreign objects sewn accidentally into patients. The study, published this week in the Archives of Surgery, showed that the wand detected 100 percent of sponges in less than three seconds each and with perfect accuracy. The doctors and nurses who studied the new wand said that it is easy to use and could be helpful, but they also complained that it is too big.
