JSLS : Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons
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Increasing awareness around patient safety and efforts to reduce medical errors has become a priority in the modern health care system. Losing needles during laparoscopic procedures is an uncommon occurrence; however, it poses a significant dilemma for the operating surgeon because retrieval can be a major challenge even for highly skilled and experienced operators. ⋯ The risks associated with retained small foreign bodies remains unknown, and there are few reports and little consensus on how surgeons should manage retained needles or other small foreign bodies during laparoscopic surgery. We propose an algorithm that may be implemented as a standard operating procedure in surgical theatres when a surgeon is faced with such a dilemma.