Surgical teams accidentally leave clamps, sponges and other tools inside about 1,500 patients nationwide each year.
The mistakes largely result not from surgeon tiredness, but from the stress arising from emergencies or complications(并发症) discovered on the operating table, the researchers reported.
The study found that emergency operations are nine times more likely to lead to such mistakes, and operating–room complications requiring a change in procedure are four times more likely.
It also happens more often to fat patients, simply because there is more room inside them to lose equipment, according to the study.
Two–thirds of the mistakes happened even though the equipment was counted before and after the procedure, in keeping with the standard practice.
Most lost objects were sponges, but also included were metal clamps and electrodes(电极). In two cases, 11–inch retractors (牵引器) metal strips were forgotten inside patients. In another operation, four sponges were left inside someone. When there is significant bleeding and a sponge is placed in a patient, it can sometimes look indistinguishable from the tissue around it.
The lost objects usually lay around the abdomen (腹腔) or hips but sometimes in the chest. They often caused tears or infections. Most patients needed additional surgery to remove the object. In other cases, patients even sensed nothing about the object, and it turned up in later surgery for other problems.
To prevent such mistakes from happening, Loyola University Medical Center is becoming one of the first hospitals in the country to use sponges outfitted with bar codes. The new system was brought to Loyola through the efforts of the hospital’s operating room nurses.
Another effective way is to X–ray patients after surgery to reduce the likelihood of objects being left inside patients.
小题1:In which of the following situations are objects most likely to be left inside a patient?
| A．The nurses are counting the equipment and the patient is being X–rayed. |
| B．The surgeons are doing the last operation of the day, and everyone is exhausted. |
| C．unexpected happens and some changes must be made in the procedure. |
| D．A complex operation is going on according to the plan made by many experts. |
小题2:Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Such mistakes happen more often to fat patients. |
| B．1,500 patients suffer from the mistake all over the world every year. |
| C．X–ray examination can help to find the lost objects. |
| D．The mistake largely results from stress rather than tiredness. |
小题3:What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Surgical teams aren’t to blame for the mistakes. |
| B．Some people never know there is something left inside their body. |
| C．Most mistakes happen because equipment isn’t counted after the procedure. |
| D．Only some small objects may be left inside the patients. |
小题4:What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Never Trust Anyone | B．A Mistake in the Operating Room |
| C．Carelessness and Mistakes | D．Tips for Patient Safety |