SURGICAL NEVER EVENTS; SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN (Patient safety is a top priority)

Abstract

Sadly, despite all the precautions given by (NHS) it is still occurring till now, and will continue to happen even in the best medical centers all over the globe. Our dear patients put their trust and life in our clinical hands and judgment so we must strive to make surgery fruitful and safe as much as possible. Certainly, it never happens if health care providers have implemented existing guidance, safety recommendations, and applies the surgical checklist given by the WHO. The NHS recorded between April 2012 and March 2013 about 290 never events. Out of these, 130 surgical retained foreign objects including: 47 Vaginal swab, tampon, cotton wool, 34 Surgical swab, 11 Instruments, 6 Guide wire–central line, 5 Laparoscopic specimen bag (with specimen), 4 Surgical drain, 3 Glove remnant, 2 Pins, 2 Surgical needle, 2 Drill guide, 2 Guide wire–chest drain, 2 Throat pack, 2 Unknown, 2 Part of broken instrument, 1 Hypodermic needle, 1 Nasal tampon (used for a laparoscopic procedure), 1 Anterior cruciate ligament implant, 1 Guide wire–femoral line, 1 Guide wire–shoulder surgery, and 1 Silicone tubing. There were 83 wrong site surgery including; 26 Wrong side, 21 Wrong tooth, 12 Wrong procedure, 24 Wrong implant or prosthesis including eye lenses, knee prosthesis and much more. Probably the number is higher in the United States. Never events rarely happen if the surgeon is competent, with good skill, have wise judgment, good ethical background, and backed by a well-trained surgical team. Surgical events are; wrong site surgery, wrong patient, wrong technique, or even wrong surgeon leaving foreign material before closing the skin, inserting wrong material such as prosthesis or implant.