This article describes a study to determine the severity of risk associated with medical errors from foreign bodies in surgical patients. The study included 54 patients with a total of 61 retained foriegn bodies (69% of which were sponges, while the remaining 31% were instruments). The majority of cases resulted in reoperation. The investigation concluded that in an emergency concerning a patient with a high body mass index, the risk of retention of foriegn bodies increases.

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