The following attract favor toed p...

The following attract favor toed practices were developed by the AORN commited Practices Committee and have been approved through the AORN Board of Directors. They were readyed as proposed recommended practices for make comments [i]or[/i] remarkss by members and others. They are effective Jan 1 2003

These praiseed practices are intended as achievable recommendations representing what is believed to be an optimal even of practice. Policies and practices will reflect variations in practice settings and/or clinical situations that determine the standing to which the recommended practices can be implemented.

AORN recognizes the numerous tokens of settings in which perioperative fosters practice. These recommended practices are intended as guidelines adaptable to various practice settings. These practice settings include traditional ORs, ambulatory surgery units, physician's offices, cardiac catheterization suites, endoscopy suites, radiology departments, and all other areas where operative and other invasive manner of proceedings may be performed.

Purpose: These commended practices provide guidelines for evaluation, selection, and use of surgical gown and drapes. These proceedss should provide a safe, effective means of protecting patients and health care personnel during use. Patients are at risk of contamination from the two endogenous and exogenous microorganisms. Health care workers are at risk of contamination from a variety of blood-borne pathogens that can be contracted via front to patients' blood and corpse fluids. The barrier quality required of surgical gown and drapes varies according to the planned use of the fruits and its anticipated exposure to vital current and body fluids.

praiseed PRACTICE I

Surgical gown and drapes should be evaluated according to the AORN "Recommend practices for the evaluation and selection of harvests and medical devices used in perioperative practice settings."(1)

1 Materials excellented for construction of surgical gown and drapes should be safe, engage identified needs, and promote patient and personnel safety.

2 Selection of gown and drape produces for use in the practice setting should be based in succession criteria specific to the products' function and use. Surgical gown and drapes are arrangeed of either single-use or reusable materials. Each of these has advantages and disadvantages. Further, in each of the pair categories, design and performance characteristics vary. This variation branchs from trade-offs in cost, comfort, and the amount of barrier protection provided. the couple single-use and reusable gowns and drapes oftentimes are reinforced to improve their barrier quality. Reinforcements may consist of additional layers of the same material or layers of different material(s). (2)

commited PRACTICE *

Materials used for surgical gown and drapes should be resistant to penetration by means of blood and other body fluids as necessitated by means of their intended use.

1 Perioperative managers and purchasing agents should obtain from manufacturers data verifying that materials used in gown and drapes are protective barriers against the transfer of microorganisms, particulates, and fluids to minimize strikethrough and the potential for personnel contamination. Microorganisms can be transferred by the agency of barrier materials by wicking of fluids and/or compressing or leaning on a downrushed area of the product. Mechanical action like as pressure can result in one as well as the other liquid and dry penetration of microbes if the urgency exceeds the maximum level of resistance that the material provides?

2 Surgical gown should be choiceed for use according to the barrier quality of the item and the wearers' anticipated front to blood and body fluids in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines for use of personal protective equipment. (4) Short processs during which there is little or no anticipated exposing to blood or body fluids can be complet favorably using a surgical gown with minimal barrier protection. As the complexity and long duration of the planned procedure increases, there may be increased potential for exposing to bloodborne pathogens, and it would be frugal to select a gown with greater barrier capability.

commended PRACTICE III

Surgical gown and drapes should maintain their integrity and be durable.

1 Surgical gown and drapes should have an acceptable quality flat (ie, be free of holes/defects)

2 Surgical gown and drapes should be resistant to tears, perforates and abrasions. The inability to withstand tears, small holes and abrasions may allow for passage of microorganisms, particulates, and fluids between sterile and nonsterile areas and unmask patients to exogenous organisms. Health care workers may be expos to bloodborne pathogens. Reusable materials should be inspected visually to determine their integrity before use. (5) Reusable textiles should be patched with heat-sealed patches of the same quality material as the item to which they are applied. If the item is of a single-ply material, a patch ne barely be applied to one side of the item. Patches must allow for penetration and removal of sterilant while maintaining the integrity of the barrier quality of the item. The percentage of expos surface that can be patched is hanging on the sterilization method and the number of layers of patched textile. (6) Areas disguiseed by heat-sealed patches on woven textiles should be examined carefully before the fabric is used. The patched area should maintain the original barrier properties each time the production is used. Patches of any kind should none be stitched to woven barrier materials as a rule of repairing holes. Stitching creates permanent retreats that reduce the barrier quality of the item. (7)