Before introducing new technology into a healthcare system, it is important to study the effect that technology will have on the system. This includes both whether the new technology has the desired effect, but also whether there are any unintended negative effects. Our pre-clinical simulations suggest that the Safety-Sponge System has the potential to improve safety and efficiency in the operating room and other hospitals are moving ahead with purchase of the system. However we argue that the benefit must be proven in a randomized trial comparing it to the traditional counting protocol.