Improving safety in the operating room: a systematic literature review of retained surgical sponges.
Wan W, Le T, Riskin L, et al. Improving safety in the operating room: a systematic literature review of retained surgical sponges. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2009;22(2):207-14. doi:10.1097/ACO.0b013e328324f82d.
This review found that, on average, retained surgical sponges (gossypibomas) were not detected until almost 7 years after surgery. The risk factors for retained sponges were similar to those found in a prior study.