Maimonides Medical Center Selects Radio Frequency Detection Technology to Aid in Prevention of Retained Surgical Items
System mitigates patient risk and improves patient safety in operating room.
Brooklyn, February 23, 2011—Maimonides Medical Center has proven itself as a front runner in patient safety technology in the New York metro area by adopting the RF Surgical Detection System in its surgical suites. The RF Surgical RF Detection System consists of radio-frequency (RF) detection technology designed to identify and prevent retained surgical items (RSI) from remaining inside a patient following surgery.
Maimonides is using the system as an adjunct to the standard practice of manual counting, to enhance patient safety in the operating room. The ability to detect surgical materials immediately and verify counting provides assurance in reducing error and improves patient safety. When the RF Surgical Detection System is activated and the wand is passed over a patient, an audible and visible alarm alerts the OR surgical team that a surgical sponge or other material fitted with an RF tag remains inside a patient’s body. With this information, clinicians can potentially prevent repeat surgeries and unnecessary x-rays.
Maimonides is also one of several sites to participate in the largest-ever prospective, multi-institution study of any medical device aimed at improving surgical counts and staff wound closure confidence. Interim results of the study were recently presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress meeting, showing that the technology can help avoid the use of radiation to locate missing sponges regardless of whether the surgical counts are correct, and help to quickly rectify miscounts. Additionally, in almost 90 percent of operations, surgical staff reported RF detection improved overall confidence that no retained surgical sponges were left inside the patient.
Additionally, the first published data on the power of radio frequency technology to identify retained surgical items in all patient types was published in the February 1 edition of American Journal of Surgery, finding that the sensitivity and specificity of radio-frequency (RF) technology is 100 percent in patients of varying body size, including morbidly obese patients.
“The RF Surgical Detection System is a critical safety net that helps our surgical teams deliver the best possible care at our hospital, and we are honored to be among the sites chosen to study and advance patient safety through this prospective study,” said Dr. David L. Feldman, chief safety officer and vice chair of surgery at Maimonides Medical Center. “The use of adjunct technology to prevent medical errors is an important tool allowing us to provide the highest quality of care to our patients.”
About Maimonides Medical Center
Now celebrating its Centennial, Maimonides Medical Center is among the largest independent teaching hospitals in the nation – training over 450 interns, residents and fellows annually. Widely recognized for its major achievements in advancing medical and information technology, Maimonides has 711 beds and over 70 subspecialty programs. For more information visit www.maimonidesmed.org.
About RF Surgical Systems, Inc.
RF Surgical Systems, Inc. is the market leader in the prevention and detection of retained surgical sponges. The RF Surgical Detection System is the preferred solution in more than 1,000 operating rooms, trauma and labor & delivery suites nationwide. RF Surgical Systems is based in Bellevue, Washington with R & D facilities in San Diego, California. The advanced technologies used in the RF Surgical Detection System are protected by U.S. patents. Regulatory clearance to market the system was granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in November 2006. The company is online at www.rfsurg.com.