title: Surgical sponge forgotten for nine years in the abdomen: A case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Retained surgical sponge or other items in patients' bodies happens more frequently than is reported. Healthcare personnel can forget to remove textile material or instruments during complicated, extended, or emergency surgery. In addition, changes in the operating team can influence the occurrence of such errors.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present a case with a symptomatic gossypiboma nine years after a previous cesarean section. A 34-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency room having experienced abdominal pain and fever for the previous month. An abdominal computed tomography revealed an abscess in the lower abdomen. A laparotomy was performed, and a resection and block were carried out. A surgical sponge was extracted from an omental abscess.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical sponges are the most common foreign materials retained (70%) in the abdominal cavity because of their frequent usage and small size. Moreover, a blood-soaked sponge in a hemorrhagic abdomen can be difficult to distinguish from blood.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Whenever the accounting for material depends on humans, mistakes will continue to be committed. A falsely correct sponge count was reported in 71.42% of cases [14]; therefore, a new count system must be developed for post-surgical situations.
authors: Department of Surgery, Assuta Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel. Electronic address: Sergio9@bezeqint.net.
authors: Sergio
authors: S
authors: Susmallian
authors: Assia Medical Group, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors: Benjamin
authors: B
authors: Raskin
authors: Department of Nutrition and Diet, Assuta Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors: Royi
authors: R
authors: Barnea
keywords: Abdomen; Bowel; Patient safety; Retained foreign body; Surgery