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INFECTION PREVENTION
TAKING ACTION The Johns Hopkins Hospital took steps to lower an
increasing SSI rate among its colorectal patients.
anesthesia record to ensure this step is completed during every colorectal surgical case. We used a grand rounds to educate anesthesia
staff about the information and changes to practice.
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Maintaining normothermia perioperatively. Opening the abdomen
really speeds up the usual loss of body heat. Pre-op nurses
wanted to perform pre-op warming, but they had no warmers. They
were taking them from the OR for patients most at risk of perioperative hypothermia. Administration knew we had warming devices and
assumed allocation just fell into place.
But that's not always how things work in practice, and that's why it's
D E C E M B E R 2012 | 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
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