Sponge arraying and disposal receptacle

Abstract

A disposable receptacle for organizing and handling sponges contaminated during surgical procedures. The receptacle comprises a transparent bag and a pair of slightly inclined chutes from which a plurality of prongs extend generally upward. Projections which extend downwardly from the chutes are rigidly attached to inside portions of the bag so that it may be suspended between the chutes for visual observation of its contents. Each of the chutes is detachably mountable on one of the arms of a U-shaped bracket which projects horizontally from a display board. For counting purposes, only one soiled sponge is hung from each prong. Moreover, only an end portion of each soiled sponge is snagged on the prong so that the bulk of the sponge extends over the edge of the chute and downwardly into the bag. Once the prongs have been filled with sponges, the chutes are rotated into the bag. A closure tie for sealing the filled receptacle is attached to the outside of the bag. A slot formed in the tie allows an operator to hang the filled receptacle from one of several sequentially numbered hooks mounted on the display board to allow rapid visual inspection and counting of the soiled sponges throughout the progress of a surgical procedure.