[Intraperitoneal textiloma. Apropos of 5 cases]

Area of Science:

• Surgical complications
• Medical device-related complications
• Patient safety in surgery

Background:

• Foreign textile bodies, such as surgical sponges or packing, can be inadvertently retained within the peritoneal cavity following abdominal surgery.
• Retained surgical items (RSIs) represent a significant patient safety concern, leading to potential morbidity and mortality.
• This review focuses on cases of textile foreign bodies left in the peritoneal cavity, analyzing their etiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and prevention.

Observation:

• Five cases of retained textile foreign bodies were reviewed.
• In four cases, the retained item was abdominal field packing (one case involved two packings).
• In one case, a compress was the retained foreign body.

Findings:

• One patient, operated on within the department, developed a delayed pseudo-tumoral presentation after 4 years.
• The four cases referred from another department presented with early-stage sepsis.
• The review covers the etiological, clinical, diagnostic, and prophylactic aspects of these retained textile foreign bodies.

Implications:

• Highlights the critical need for meticulous surgical counts and standardized protocols to prevent retained surgical items.
• Emphasizes the diverse clinical presentations, ranging from early sepsis to delayed pseudo-tumoral masses, associated with retained textiles.
• Underscores the importance of comprehensive review of etiological, clinical, diagnostic, and prophylactic factors to improve patient outcomes and surgical safety.