Scalpels that do not cut, Dr. Marini: “Enough with the principle of’affordability, patients” lives are at stake;
Dr. Pierluigi Marini, vice president of the Association of Italian Hospitaller Surgeons, spoke at the microphones of the program “Genetics Today,” hosted by Andrea Lupoli on Radio Cusano Campus, a station of Niccolò Cusano University (www.unicusano.it).
The Association of Italian Hospital Surgeons has reported a drastic decline in the quality of surgical instruments in Italian hospitals, so much so that scalpels no longer cut. Dr. Marini explained the consequences of this criticality. “In the case of the scalpel,” said Marini, “if the blade does not cut the way it is supposed to cut, I am forced to go over the point to be cut several times…. Unless I am Giotto, and if I were Giotto I would be a painter and not a surgeon, I can hardly be consistent with the first cut. So there can be cosmetic consequences, but also risks of infection.
Very often we are forced to change 3-4 blades because they do not fit, so the principle of affordability does not hold either. Also because we are talking about a surgical instrument that costs two cents. This phenomenon affects not only the scalpel, but can also affect gloves for example, and more complex instrumentation.
The problem is that if we buy reserving only the principle of affordability, we risk reducing the quality of the instruments themselves, and this is not possible. We do bowel surgeries using mechanical suturers, instruments that are used to stitch the bowel. If a metal staple in this instrument does not work well, the patient’s life is at risk.
Sometimes we were forced to redo surgery all over again.”.
