End Wrong-Site Surgery with Surgi-Sign
- Physician-invented surgical site marker
- Surgeon-led safety process
- Standardized surgical marks
- Active patient involvement
- Visible team marks in the surgical site
End Wrong-Site Surgeries With
The future of site marking
- Physician-invented site marker
- Standardized site markings
- Active patient involvement
- Visible team marks in the surgical field
End Wrong-Site Surgeries With
- Physician-invented temporary tattoo
- Standardized site markings
- Patient actively involved
- Visible team marks in the surgical field
What is Surgi-Sign?
A Visual Checklist
Surgi-Sign is a visual checklist that converts site marking from a passive, verbal process to an active, visual one.
It’s a temporary tattoo that is a powerful checklist that is easily seen on the patient, in the surgical field, starting from pre-OP and into the operating room.
Surgi-Sign standardizes all preoperative surgical site markings.
〈 Tap and hold circle while moving right and left 〉
PRE-OP: Team crosscheck marks ensure correct site
OR: Tattoo material wiped away—ready for the Time Out
〈 Tap and hold circle while moving right and left 〉
PRE-OP: Team crosscheck marks ensure correct site
OR: Tattoo material wiped away—ready for the Time Out
PRE-OP: Team crosscheck marks ensure correct site
OR: Tattoo material wiped away—ready for the Time Out
Surgeon identifies the correct surgical with the patient site and adds initials
Only 20 Seconds
The Surgi-Sign is a specially-designed temporary tattoo that can be applied onto the skin in only 20 seconds.
After the team has crosschecked and marked the surgical site, in the OR, and prior to prepping, the tattoo wipes away in 20 seconds — but all of the team’s marks remain on the skin in the surgical site.
Surgeon’s Initials and Crosscheck Marks
Our unique design uses simple fill-in-the-box technology that enables the surgeon write his/her initials in the surgical site. There are 3 additional checkboxes for the patient, nurse, and anesthesiologist to confirm the correct operative site has been identified.
All boxed areas on the tattoo contain no tattoo material, which means when your team adds their marks, they are writing directly on the patient’s skin.
What happens before the Time Out is just as important as the Time Out itself
Standardized Surgical Marks
The Surgi-Sign reinforces a universal expectation by standardizing all surgical markings. Our visual mechanism enables anyone on the team to quickly see if a mark is missing, and stop the process until the site is crosscheck and confirmed.
Truly Active Patient Involvement
This is the only site marking system that gives you truly active patient involvement.
The primary function of our tattoo is to prompt each member of the surgical team, including the patient, to confirm verbally and visually that the correct surgical site has been identified.
I would think every hospital wants a product like this. This is what the hospital wants, this is what the surgeons want, and it’s obviously what the patients want.
Enhanced Teamwork
The airline industry learned decades ago to use cross-check safety mechanisms. The pilot and co-pilot go through their safety checklists while flight attendants verbally verify and visually show that their safety checks have been completed.
Patient actively marks their correct surgical site.
Nurse crosschecks the surgical site verbally and if correct writes a checkmark in the Nurse box.
40 People experience a wrong-site surgery every week in the U.S.
What exactly is wrong-site surgery?
This term refers to surgeries that were performed on the wrong side, on the wrong body part, on the wrong patient, or the wrong procedure was conducted.
These devastating mistakes are considered “Never Events,” which is a term CMS uses to describe medical errors that are entirely preventible, meaning they should never happen.
Surgi-Sign also eliminates wrong-side/wrong-site nerve blocks. Anesthesia can now follow best practices by marking the side with a checkmark.
From a malpractice perspective, wrong-site surgeries are indefensible.
We consider wrong-site malpractice cases to be indefensible. I would think using the Surgi-Sign would eliminate the risk of these wrong-site errors.
The High cost of Wrong-Site Surgeries
PATIENT COST
Risk of Death and Permanent Injury
U.S. malpractice claims reveal that wrong-site surgeries lead to 8% of patients dying, and 41% suffering permanent injury.
These errors remain one of the top 3 reported errors throughout the world.
HOSPITAL COSTS
Up to $3M for one Wrong-Site Surgery
Malpractice insurers consider wrong-site surgical errors indefensible, which means all claims are automatically paid.
The cost of malpractice payments, lost reimbursement for the original surgery, cost of the repair procedure, plus value-based CMS penalties, hospitals pay on average $2.7M for each error. In the cases that result in patient death, hospitals should expect to add an additional $1M.
Your Best Insurance Against Wrong-Site Surgery
Would you rather pay $2.90 or risk losing $16.00 on every surgery?
Wrong-site surgeries in the U.S. cost over $700M annually. Dividing this number by the total number of surgeries performed each year, means every hospital risks $16.00 on every surgical case. The Surgi-Sign reduces your cost to only $2.90 per surgery.
When you prep and drape that patient, you can see that’s the area that the surgeon and patient identified as the correct site.
How Surgi-Sign works
Surgeon-Led Pre-Op Site Identification
After the Surgi-Sign has been applied in the surgical field, the surgeon writes his or her initials in the “Surgeon/Operator” boxed area. The patient then becomes actively involved by adding a checkmark showing agreement with the surgical site. The nurse and anesthesiologist also crosscheck the site and add their confirming checkmark.
Surgeon-Led Pre-Op Site Identification
After the Surgi-Sign has been applied in the surgical field, the surgeon writes his or her initials in the “Surgeon/Operator” boxed area.
The patient then becomes actively involved by adding a checkmark showing agreement with the surgical site.
The nurse and anesthesiologist also crosscheck the site and add their confirming checkmark.
Marks on the Skin — Not the Tattoo
There is no film in the boxed areas, which means all marks are written directly on the patient skin. When the tattoo material is wiped away in the operating room, the marks remain on the skin, clearly visible in the surgical site.
Our convenient wall mount makes it even easier to mark all of your patients.
Marks Made on the Skin — Not the Tattoo
There is no tattoo adhesive or film in the boxed areas, which means the team makes their marks directly on the patient skin. When the tattoo material is wiped away in the operating room, prior to prepping and the Time Out, the marks remain on the skin, clearly visible and in the surgical site.
Standardized Surgical Marks
Our fill-in-the-box technology standardizes all of the surgical site markings for every surgery.
Wipe the tattoo away in 20 seconds, but the marks remain on the skin. Ready for prepping a Time Out.
Patient safety is elevated to a whole new level.
With the surgeon’s initials, date, and three confirming crosscheck marks, you will have your strongest Time Out.
Clear Site Confirmation Before Incision
Our unique checkmark boxes ensure that everyone on the team—including the patient—have crosschecked and agreed that the correct site has been identified. This gives everybody a critical voice in identifying the correct operative site.
Surgi-Sign Will Always Point You in the Right Direction
Our directional design allows you to pinpoint specific areas and make clear the exact surgical site.
IN PRE-OP: Surgeon, patient, nurse, and anesthesia crosschecks the correct site.
IN THE OR: The tattoo material wipes away in 20 seconds
has you covered in more ways than one.
Complete Coverage with 5 Designs
SMS-1
This design not only includes space for the surgeon’s initials, but the date of surgery as well. With all of our designs, there are additional areas for the patient, nurse, and anesthesiologist to add confirming checkmarks.
SMS-2
Our pointed design is especially useful for surgeries that are performed on smaller, specific areas. Now you have the ability to distinguish fingers, toes, and general surgeries.
SMS-Rocket
We have two fun pediatric designs. For the adventurous child a rocket in flight might be the ticket. The child’s parents will be relieved knowing that your hospital is doing everything possible to care for their child.
SMS-Wand
Who wouldn’t want a a magic wand just before surgery? Although this tattoo was designed with children in mind, some of your adult patients will likely opt for some magic too. Why not?
SMS-Eye
Our eye design is the perfect size and shape for all eye procedures. Everyone on the team will be able to see that the correct eye has been clearly identified. Our easy-release formula means no abrasive scrubbing to remove the tattoo.
will always point you in the right direction.
We’ve Got You Covered
