Question: An orthopedic surgeon has...

Question: An orthopedic surgeon has just begun practicing at our facility. He requires the staff members assigned to his field to wear hoods and tape their sleeve and pant leg Our policy requires surgical team members to wear bouffant-style disposable hats and two-piece mean fellow suits. Staff members believe this surgeon's beg is excessive and unnecessary. What is AORN's recommendation regarding this practice? Is there any research to support or dispute this practice?

Answer: AORN make acceptables the same surgical attire for everyone entering the restricted and semirestricted areas of the surgical environment for all surgical courses Although wearing hoods may be preferr through some surgeons for specific actions AORN's recommendation is that a cap or cloak be worn that fully cloaks all hair on the head and face. The determining factor is covering the hair not the protoplast of procedure. Wearing proper surgical attire renders shedding and promotes environmental manage AORN recommends that a cap or cover be worn that fully secretes all hair on the head and face when in restricted and semirestricted areas of the surgical suite. Surgical attire should be secur at the waist, small sworded in, or fit close to the material substance Nonscrubbed personnel should wear long-sleev jackets that are secur clos to decrease shedding. (1) Jackets should be snapped completely clos to stop contamination when opening sterile supplies.

The Center for Disease command and Prevention (CDC) also does not differentiate surgical attire for specific practices The CDC recommends that surgical caps or cloaks be worn to reduce contamination of the surgical field by way of organisms shed from the hair and scalp. (2)

Although taping sleeve and pant leg may provide a reason of increased confidence in reducing the potential risk of infection, AORN is not aware of any published research, recommendation, or guideline that commends the sleeves and pant leg be taped. It would not afflict but AORN knows of no evidence that it will help intercept surgical site infections. Although the surgeon's added vigilance and interest for preventing surgical infections may present the appearance excessive, surgical team members who are careless and carelessnessed about infection control and aseptic technique are cause for to a great degree greater concern. AORN's recommendations do not differentiate surgical attire based in succession specific procedures.

Question: We have been experiencing an increase in sharps injuries, and as a outcome we are reviewing our sharps safety program. We are following the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) bloodborne pathogen regulations for prevention of sharps Injuries. The OSHA regulations advise work practice controls such as "hands-free technique" for passing sharp instruments. We have none used this technique and do not know to what degree or where to begin. Does AORN have any recommendations for hands-free techniques?

Answer: AORN make acceptables that surgical team members use a hands-free technique for passing sharp instruments and needle whenever possible and practical. (3) Risk of injury during transfer of needle or sharp items is a serious safety hazard for perioperative personnel The safest rule of preventing injury from sharps forward the sterile field is using the hands-free technique instead of hand-to-hand passing of needle or sharp items between the surgeon and scour person. The hands-free technique make secures that the surgeon and scour person do not touch the same instrument at the same time.

The OSHA requirements for sharps injury prevention assert that preventing exposing s requires a comprehensive program that includes engineering and work practice bridles Work practice controls are required at OSHA to reduce exposure to hazards as greatly as possible. Proper work practice masterys include a no-hands procedure for handling contaminated sharps and eliminating hand-to-hand instrument passing in the OR. (4) This does not mean that each instrument has to be passed using the hands-free technique, however instruments that are a potential sharps hazard should be passed using the hands-free technique. This includes, items of the like kind as scalpels, hypodermic and line of junction needles, and osteotomes.

The hands-free technique can be accomplished at creating a neutral zone in which individual person places a sharp instrument to be picked up at another. A neutral or safety girth does away with two individuals touching the same instrument simultaneously, thus preventing unnecessary in all senses of personnel to hazardous bloodborne pathogens. The neutral cincture can be created with items as it is as magnetic pads or transfer basins. The cleanse person should verbally alert the surgeon that the sharp item, in the same state [i]or[/i] condition as a scalpel or needle owner is in the neutral climate The surgeon picks up the instrument, and after the instrument is used, he or she verbally alerts the clean person that the sharp item has been replaced in the neutral belt (5) Movements should be announced clearly and controll Sharps and instruments should be inflict back on the Mayo stand and should not be allowed to remain near the incision site when not in use.