Radiopaque surgical gauze swab (4x4 sponge)
A sterile, single-use woven cotton gauze dressing (distinct from non-sterile cotton gauze used outside the surgical field for general wound care or cleaning), folded into multiple plies (typically 4- or 8-ply, roughly 10x10 cm / 4x4), with a radiopaque thread woven through it so it is detectable on X-ray.
How it is used
Used to blot and absorb blood or fluid in the surgical field, to swab or dab tissue clean, and for skin preparation, in both open surgery and minor procedures.
Clinical tip
Must be counted before and after the procedure as part of the sponge/instrument count protocol to prevent retained foreign bodies; the radiopaque thread allows it to be detected on X-ray if the count does not reconcile.
Sources
This entry is part of the Instriq catalog, researched and written per specialty from real web research -- never generated or invented without verification -- and reviewed skeptically and independently before publication. How this catalog is written.
History
Added to the catalog on 2026-10-05. Content last updated: 2026-10-07.
Dates derived from the project's public version-control history on GitHub, not a live collaborative edit log.