SmartSponge System uses RFID

ClearCount Medical Solutions, a company that addresses novel ways of preventing retained foreign bodies and to improve surgical safety, has announced that its patented SmartSponge System, which uses on radio frequency identification tags attached to surgical sponges, has received US Food and Drug Administration clearance.

"With an estimated 3,000–5,000 incidents a year, retained surgical sponges are a considerable problem. The SmartSponge System can improve patient safety and efficiency by alerting staff when there is a missing sponge."

ClearCount expects to make available a commercial solution that fully integrates into the current workflow of the operating room by the end of this year.