Counting for organ harvest?

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

We recently did an organ harvest, and one of the surgeons (from another hospital, not ours) made the comment, "When is your hospital going to stop counting on dead people?"

Personally I think it makes sense to count so that nothing gets left behind. I think it's disrespectful to the donor not to care whether or not things are left behind, plus instruments aren't exactly cheap. So just wondering what other hospitals do.

[Scrubby]

My rationale for doing a count on an organ donor would be to make sure that everything is accounted for to prevent any instruments/sponges being confused with the next case. for example a sponge count isn't taken for a donor, a sponge is left on the floor or something. the next case is brought in and the uncounted sponge from the donor case may be included in the next count resulting in a retained sponge.

I hope this makes sense.

[MamaCheese]

Our policy is to count on organ harvests. Here's a good question: "When are surgeon's going to stop being such PITA's and let us do our jobs according to our facility's policys and procedures?" Lets ponder that one for a bit :icon_roll

[KayceeCA]

Our policy is to count on organ harvests. Here's a good question: "When are surgeon's going to stop being such PITA's and let us do our jobs according to our facility's policys and procedures?" Lets ponder that one for a bit :icon_roll

Amen to that!

[core0]

Our policy is to count on organ harvests. Here's a good question: "When are surgeon's going to stop being such PITA's and let us do our jobs according to our facility's policys and procedures?" Lets ponder that one for a bit :icon_roll

More importantly go by the how would that look in the news. Imagine "hospital left instruments in my loved ones dead body". Even if the patient is declared dead in the OR you still need to account for all of the instruments.

David Carpenter, PA-C

[MereSanity]

Another reason to count is for the safety of the scrubs/nurses. You don't want to poke or cut yourself on anything that you left behind. Patient safety AND OR staff safety is the reason we do counts.

[Miss_]

When I worked on the organ procurement team we once found a knife blade stuck to a kidney, while it was on the profusion pump! Transplant surgeon=not happy! Keep counting!

[brewerpaul]

My rationale for doing a count on an organ donor would be to make sure that everything is accounted for to prevent any instruments/sponges being confused with the next case. for example a sponge count isn't taken for a donor, a sponge is left on the floor or something. the next case is brought in and the uncounted sponge from the donor case may be included in the next count resulting in a retained sponge.

I hope this makes sense.

Jeez... if the possibility of leaving a sponge on the floor is an issue for your OR, whoever turns your rooms over REALLY needs a good talking to!!