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A laparotomy pad is a large sterile surgical sponge used during open abdominal surgery and other procedures. It is also called a lap pad, laparotomy sponge, or abdominal sponge. The pad absorbs blood and fluid, helps protect tissue, and can be used to gently move or pack organs during surgery. Most surgical laparotomy pads include a radiopaque marker so they can be seen on X-ray if needed.
read more about laparotomy pad ...A laparotomy pad is used to absorb fluids and improve visibility during surgery. It can help protect tissue from drying, isolate an area, apply pressure, or temporarily pack a cavity. Surgeons and scrub teams use them in laparotomy and other procedures with significant fluid or tissue exposure. They are counted before, during, and after surgery to reduce the risk of a retained surgical item.
Laparotomy pads are usually made from absorbent cotton or gauze and come in different sizes. Many have a loop or tail that helps handling and retrieval. Radiopaque strips or markers allow detection on imaging if a pad is missing after the count. Some pads are designed to be low-linting to reduce loose fibers in the surgical field.
The surgical team opens sterile pads onto the sterile field and counts them according to protocol. During surgery, pads can absorb blood, protect organs, or apply pressure to bleeding areas. Used pads are kept in a controlled location and counted before closure. If counts do not match, the team follows the facility’s retained-item prevention process.
Laparotomy pad safety depends on correct counting, visibility, communication, and retrieval. A retained pad can cause infection, pain, obstruction, abscess, or the need for another surgery. Pads should not be cut into smaller pieces unless the facility has a specific protocol that controls counting and detection. Missing counts, unclear documentation, or emergency surgery require extra attention.
No. Laparotomy pads are larger surgical sponges designed for internal surgical use, absorption, packing, and counting control.
Radiopaque markers help the pad show up on X-ray if a surgical count is incorrect or a retained item is suspected.
No. They are sterile, single-use surgical supplies and are discarded after use according to clinical waste procedures.
They are counted to help prevent a pad from being left inside the patient. Counts are part of surgical safety practice.
Retained Surgical Items: Causation and Prevention. AHRQ PSNet. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer/retained-surgical-items-causation-and-prevention. Date Accessed June 15, 2026.
Retained Surgical Items and Minimally Invasive Surgery. PubMed Central. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3140941/. Date Accessed June 15, 2026.
Retained surgical sponges: a descriptive study of 319 occurrences and contributing factors from 2012 to 2017. PubMed Central. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6027759/. Date Accessed June 15, 2026.
Recommended Standard of Practice for Counts. Association of Surgical Technologists. https://www.ast.org/uploadedFiles/Main_Site/Content/About_Us/Standard%20Counts.pdf. Date Accessed June 15, 2026.
Retained Radiopaque Marker in Gauze and Surgical Sponges. PubMed Central. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11371946/. Date Accessed June 15, 2026.