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traindicated.
Skin damp with sweat or irrigation solutions becomes macerated
and can't easily slide on surfaces.
Intraoperative underbody patientwarming devices, which can
increase moisture on the skin's
surface, have been implicated in
pressure ulcer formation. Tubes,
cables or medical devices laid
across or placed on patients can
also jeopardize skin integrity.
Pressure ulcers are less of an
issue in short-duration surgeries,
but you must still take care to
position patients properly, especially if they present with known
risk factors (see "Pressure Ulcer
Red Flags"). Pressure ulcer risks
gradually increase as case times
lengthen. For example, the likelihood of pressure ulcers developing jumps from 5.8% to 13.2%
between 3-hour and 7-plus-hour
cases. Research has also shown
that pressure ulcer risk increases
3.3% for every 30 minutes a 4hour case is prolonged.
J U N E 2013 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
If You Rent A
Laser...Do You
Know Where It
Has Been Lately?
Get the Facts–
Healthcare Laser
Safety Responsibilities
Did you know that the new ANSI
Guidelines have new expanded
sections related to the use of
3rd party laser rental service
providers, Laser Safety Officer
(LSO) roles, and facility audit and
training requirements?
Please visit us at
www.lumenis.ANSI.com and watch
our webinar Navigating New Laser
Safety Standards
3 9
