Medtronic PLC keeps buying, and on Monday it announced the acquisition of technology to prevent sponges, gauze and towels from being left inside patients after surgery.
The Dublin-based company said it would spend $235 million for RF Surgical Systems Inc., a California firm with a proprietary detection system that uses a low radio frequency (RF) signal to track the three surgical supplies.
Medtronic, which has its operational headquarters in Fridley, did not disclose any additional terms for the deal, which is scheduled to close in August.
Medtronic has announced four other deals this year since its $49.9 billion acquisition of hospital supplier Covidien in January.
"Improving patient safety and outcomes is our daily focus, which directly aligns with the RF Surgical technology, a simple and cost-effective solution to avoidable complications in surgical procedures," said Chris Barry, a Medtronic senior vice president, in a statement.
Patient safety concerns have been growing in hospitals for more than a decade. The threat from retained objects in the state is documented each year in a report by the Minnesota Department of Health.
Between 2008 and 2011, there were at least 15 cases per year of retained sponges reported by hospitals, according to the report, although annual tallies dropped to fewer than five in the past two years following more prevention efforts.
Retained objects can lead to harmful complications, so hospital staff typically count items like sponges at the end of surgeries to make sure none have been left inside patients. The high-tech sponges, gauze and towels sold by RF Surgical Systems are meant to be used as an adjunct to manual counting.
