The aim of this project was the development of a device that prevents the retaining of surgical accessories in the body of the patient after the end of surgery. These surgical accessories are essential for performing surgeries but once left in the patient’s body they can cause complications and necessitate repeated surgery. They include primarily cloth (textile) articles used for isolation and positioning of tissues and organs within the surgical field or are used for cleaning the surgical field at the end of the surgery.

Even though strict rules and restrictions govern the use of these devices, there are numerous cases where individual surgical cloth items are left behind in the patient’s body after surgery. In the majority of cases the associated complications necessitate repeated surgery. This can endanger the health and delay the recovery of the patient.

The purpose of using our device is to facilitate – throughout the intervention but primarily in the closing phase – the monitoring of tools and accessories that are ready for removal but not yet removed. During the closing phase of the intervention the operating surgeon and the assistants can use this device to exclude the retaining of tools and accessories that were used for surgery but need to be removed before the completion of the intervention.

The monitoring system consists of two basic parts. One of them is integrated into tools and accessories used in the surgical field. This is a small capsule that accompanies surgical devices used in the patient’s body cavities. Thanks to its small size it does not limit the use of the surgical device. It is attached to and pre-sterilised together with the surgical device. Naturally the attached capsule is removed together with the surgical device.

The other part is a monitoring unit that can sense at a distance the capsule attached to the surgical device. The operating team can use this unit throughout the surgery but especially before the closure of the surgical site whether there are any surgical tools that need to be removed from the patient’s body cavities.