Wondering if anyone is using a screening process for trash and laundry to prevent instruments being thrown out? Something maybe like a metal detector? Something else perhaps? We have written policies etc however the reality is 'things just vanish'.

Thanks
Eleanor Kenny

Hi Eleanor,

I have used metal detectors for screening laundry bags for metal instruments with success. The metal detector paid for itself in 4 months by finding lost instruments.

Trash bags are typically filled with metal items such as bottle tops and the metal detector is of little use in searching for metal instruments because of all of the false positives.

On rare occasions, the OR borrows the metal detector to find lost instruments inside of patients because it is faster than an x-ray, and the ER has used it to screen the bellies of children suspected to have swallowed coins.

Regards,
Pete Bobb

Dear Eleanor,

a metal detector can be a very useful aid on the cssd - just make sure that all things that hold metal (e.g. gowns with metal pressure buttons, suture package,..) are apart from all the rest - otherwise you will have many false alarms and the purpose of the detector will be lost. So good "triage"-procedures has to be made with the OR.

further see to it that you're buying a detector which is not only scanning the surface of the laundry bags but all the way through, and one that is responding within acceptable time.

regards,