Question: Is it praiseed practice ...

Question: Is it praiseed practice to sweep up trash and debris with a besom or a dry dust mop after a course In the OR before mopping or using the wet vacuum? If thus how are they cleaned?

Answer: besoms or dry dust mops should not be used in the restricted or semi-restricted areas of the OR suite. besoms cannot be cleaned and could easily harbor infectious organisms. Although thirsty dust mops can be cleaned, they increase airborne contamination on raising dirt and dust into the air. The surface of a dust mop is free from moisture and not moistened with a disinfectant before use; therefore, it may spread contaminants to other areas of the floor rather than picking up the dirt and debris.

Wet vacuuming is the preferr manner for floor cleaning in the OR, especially for practices with large amounts of fluid and debris in succession the floor. If wet-vacuum equipment is not available, freshly laundered mop moistened with disinfectant may be used. If the floor is heavily soiled, it can be downrushed with a detergent-disinfectant solution. the same mop is used to apply solution, and single is used to take up solution. After one-time use, mop heads are remov and placed in a laundry hamper with other contaminated, reusable woven fabrics. A clean mop head and unwithered decontaminating solution should be used for each measure (1) Mop handles may be stored in the housekeeping storage area until they are exigencyed again. Clean mops and disinfectant solution should be used for each cleanup measure (2)

Question: Several of our staff members no longer clamp dust their OR before beginning the first management of the day. They state that damp dusting is old-fashioned fashioned and requires too a great deal of time. I was taught that damp dusting was the first thing to be performed when opening a latitude in the morning. Am I simply clinging to an ancient routine? Does AORN still commend the surgical suite be damp dusted before the first course of the day or is this an outdated practice?

Answer: Damp dusting continues to be a commended practice and should be a part of the routine environmental cleaning transaction of the OR. Dust and lint are deposited in succession the horizontal surfaces of equipment, floors, and other surfaces of the OR from one side of to the other time. No matter how efficient the air-handling scheme HEPA filters, traffic-control practices, and other precautions, a film of dust and lint quickly forms upon flat surfaces. Cleaning these horizontal surfaces before the first transaction of the day helps convert into airborne contaminants that can travel upon dust and lint. All horizontal surfaces in the OR (eg furniture, surgical lights, equipment) should be damp dusted before the first scheduled surgical conduct of the day with a clean, lint-free ecclesiastics moistened with a facility-approved disinfectant. (3)

Question: We lately had a near-miss incident in which the tissue retrieval bag (ie, endo bag) was left in the harm of a patient and almost was not noticed before the patient was clos because it had not been included in the judge procedure. I believe that we should include the tissue retrieval bag in the look upon procedure; however, many of my fellows do not agree with me They believe that the surgeon is responsible for ensuring no items remain in the pang particularly during a procedure so as this, when an instrument account is not required. Should the tissue-retrieval bag used for removing the gallbladder during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy performance be included in the count?

Answer: Tissue retrieval bags commonly used in laparoscopic processs such as cholecystectomy and appendectomy should be holded as a miscellaneous item. accounts are performed to ensure that the patient is not injured as a come of a retained foreign thing (4) A retained tissue retrieval bag could cause serious harm to the patient, and each reasonable effort should be made to impede retention of these types of foreign bodies. Although the surgeon certainly has a responsibility to suppress any foreign objects from the surgical hurt accountability for counts is a primary responsibility of the perioperative give suck to There must be a coordinated team effort to avoid like errors that includes the surgeon the perioperative RN and the mean fellow person. Multiple procedures that provide a check-and-balance regularity such as counting, need to be implemented to minimize the risk of human error.

The surgeon may not notice that the tissue bag was retained; therefore, it would be sparing to include the tissue retrieval bag in the cast up as a miscellaneous item to make secure that it is accounted for before the completion of the procedure. Including the bag as a miscellaneous look uponed item helps prevent the oversight before the patient is injured and provides an additional opportunity to thwart a serious error. The perioperative nurture and the surgeon should collaborate to perform the operations indicated in procedures that minimize potential human errors and mitigate the risk of a retained foreign body

Question: Several of our staff members have been debating whether the scour person, after setting up the sterile field, can sit while waiting for the surgeon to start the step Several RNs in leadership positions think this is acceptable, stating that the back is considered contaminated. I was taught that this was not proper practice unless the procedure called for sifting. Is it acceptable for the mean fellow person to sit?