The latest thinking from clinical and patient safety leaders from Harvard and around the world. A steady stream of interviews, news updates, legal guidance, effective practices, event highlights, and more.
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Alert on Surgical Items Left Behind in Patients
In late 2023, the Academic Medical Center Patient Safety Organization issued an advisory noting a spike in reports of retained surgical items. A retained surgical item is patient safety lingo for when the surgical team leaves something like a sponge or a tool inside the patient after surgery. These events may lead to serious harm, such as sepsis, prolonged hospitalization, the need for subsequent surgery, or death.