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Role of the perioperative nurse in safe surgical needles handling: Surgical count procedure

Retained surgical items (RSI) are adverse events which lead to consequences such as subsequent surgery requiring another anesthesia and considerable increase in healthcare costs. Retrospective analysis of RSI reported to The Joint Commission between 2012 and 2018 concerning cases of foreign body retained in patients revealed that 11% out of all 308 cases of RSI were surgical needles or blades. There are numerous articles regarding the prevention of types of RSI like gossypiboma or textiloma whereas very few authors focus on the issue of retained surgical needles. The article is dedicated to the problem of proper surgical needles handling during surgical procedures – such needles may become a foreign body under certain circumstances due to their relatively small size. The aim of this article is to promote awareness of the perioperative nurses responsible for patient’s safety during his/her stay in the operating room. Furthermore, the goal is to raise awareness on the subject of how to properly perform and document atraumatic needles count along with safe approach to sutures handling in general. Discussed recommendations are based on the latest national and global guidelines published by nursing associations, including perioperative nurses (Supreme Chamber of Nurses and Midwives, European Operating Room Nurses Association, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses), and other scientific literature on this topic.