Francis Bustos, MD; Nathan S. Lanham, MD; Noah J. Orfield, PhD; Peter J. Apel, MD, PhD; and Cay M. Mierisch, MD
Identification of Microsurgical Suture Needles in the Hand Using Plain Radiographs
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Our objective is to determine if radiographs are adequate for identifi cation of retained microsurgical needles. Four microsurgical needles ranging from 3.8 mm to 6.5 mm in length and 50 μ to 130 μ in diameter were affi xed to an anthropomorphic phantom limb. Portable radiograph images were then obtained and viewed by a group of 20 subjects comprised of att ending radiologists, att ending orthopaedic surgeons, orthopaedic surgery residents and operating room nurses. For all subjects, 3.35 out of 4 needles were identifi ed in a mean 4.7 minutes. Radiologists identifi ed all four needles and needed the least amount of time (mean 2.3 minutes). Orthopaedic surgery att endings identifi ed a mean 3.5 of 4 needles while orthopaedic surgery residents and operating room nurses identifi ed a mean 3 of 4 needles. Identifi cation of microsurgical needles is possible using digital radiographs but requires 2–5 minutes of searching the image and adjusting the windows. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 29(4):230–233, 2020)
Key words: microneedles, radiographs, retained surgical instruments, microsurgical needles