[Image from Stryker]
Stryker (NYSE:SYK) announced today that it launched its next-generation SurgiCount + safety-sponge system.
Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Stryker designed its next-gen surgical sponge counting technology as its most intelligent version to allow healthcare providers to count and scan sponges and connect to hospitals’ electronic medical records (EMR).
According to a news release, the platform was built on Stryker’s existing technology, with the company designing it to assist with sponge management, which constitutes a safety concern in the operating room as a result of inadequate tools, manual processes and inconsistent practices.
SurgiCount + aims to simplify workflows and streamline processes to create less time spent searching for missing sponges. It includes UHF-RFID tagged sponges, a wireless reader for scanning and counting, an intuitive tablet interface, a workstation stand equipped with sponge hanging bags and sterile reader covers and a digital platform for enabling EMR connectivity and documented proof.
“Stryker is collaborating with surgical teams across the country to create safer ORs and equip healthcare providers with the tools needed to avoid retained surgical sponges,” VP & GM of Stryker’s surgical technologies business Mike Carlin said in the release. “We want healthcare providers to know they can count on us to make zero retained surgical sponges* the expectation and reality and provide certainty when they need it most.”