No More Wrong Site Surgery

In 1991, a major medical teaching hospital of the national news was for the wrong leg was amputated twice in one week. Despite losing "a lot of care" two unhappy people in the hospital expecting a leg and walk with a prosthesis and in the end lose both legs and left in a wheelchair.

In 1999, the Institute of Medicine published a landmark report on patient safety with the title: To err is human, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of HealthcareOrganizations (JCAHO) began in the cause of patient safety and the prevention of wrong site surgery. Developed in the past 16 years, hospitals, doctors, nurses and many, many other developed and implemented procedures to repatriate the rising number of tragic mistake.

In 2007 at a conference on patient safety, the director of the JCAHO disclosed that despite the enormous effort and cost of the course, the number of wrong site surgery continues unabated and has risen exponentially since 1991. EachAttempt to change this terrible reality has failed!

How can this be?

The title of the report of 1999, it brought to err is human.

Think of modern surgery. You will be transferred to patients in an operating room. Confirm your identification band, it is expected that the patient for surgery.

This is the first possible point of error, false names are planning for the operation.

According to the operating room staff to ensure you are you, the site of the operation is confirmed in the table and. You may also be asked to confirm that they are correctly marking the spot.

This is the next possible point of error, wrong place are listed in the table or said to you.

Once your surgical site is selected, you will receive medication (if not sooner). Their surgical site is washed and prepared to consolidate "will continue this as the" right side. "Then your whole body will be performed by surgical drapes and other sections that you want to reduce an unidentifiable pile of fabricA small window with the skin.

This is an opportunity for prior errors by eliminating the ability of the surgeon at any of the above steps, recheck step easily.

The doctor comes out and prepares himself before cutting. The doctor confirms that you have been identified and the correct surgical site has been selected. The amputation is completed and the surgical team removed the surgical drapes and discovered your injured leg was amputated NOT!

So is there a solution?

Perhaps,imagine if you had the operation area days or even weeks before surgery with no change to highlight the danger mark. Imagine a preoperative marking system, a unique identifier for the surgical site that is not affected by the process of cleaning is provided, prepping and coverage. Make been a patient and surgical identification that is repeated at the time of approval by the pre-operative procedures will be reviewed during the operation and also for the right partamputated.

Impossible?

The technology has the solution. Implantable RFID chips are currently in use worldwide as unique identifiers for patient medical record and disaster responders. Contrary to popular myth, there is no GPS tracking system or other privacy issue through this passive electronic data created.

RFID chips are shot biologically inert and implanted through a small needle so easy to give as an antibiotic. These are ideal characteristics for the wrong side of the operationSolution.

Think of RFID surgery. You as a patient, contact your doctor weeks before the operation. My family doctor has determined that you require surgery. An RFID chip is implanted in the fat of the diseased leg and you are the surgeon to see.

You see, several days later, the surgeon, but your medical records have not yet arrived. Instead of rescheduling your appointment, the surgeon scans the leg with an RFID receiver and your medical record. Youauthorize immediate release of medical records and your surgeon schedules surgery.

They are hospitalized and the first human error occurs, as is the healthy leg in the case history used as required surgery.

The day of the operation occurs, the second human error as a roommate moves in the operating room is. Instead of amputating the wrong leg of the wrong person, your roommate for an RFID chip is scanned and displays the unique identifier that you and yourHousemates were given the same bracelet.

You are transferred to the operating room. Confirm your identification band, it is expected that the patient for surgery. According to the operating room staff to ensure you are you, the site of the operation is confirmed in the table and marked. They may also be asked to confirm that they are correctly marking the spot. The graph shows your good leg is the surgical site. You already have drug and agree, as a result of sedation.

OnceMy good leg is selected, your good leg is washed and prepared to consolidate "will continue this as the" right side. "Then your whole body will be performed by surgical drapes and other sections that you want to reduce an unidentifiable pile of cloth with a small window of the skin.

The doctor comes out and prepares himself before cutting, when the final RFID chip scan performed. No RFID chip can be found in the leg be amputated above. The surgical team immediately removes any surgicalCurtains and scan your affected leg. The RFID chip is found and the right leg is washed, disinfected, and draped amputated.

Tragedy averted!

To err is human - RFID is Divine

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