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a surgeon," he says. "I went flying. It was like I'd stepped on a skateboard."
Dr. Lawson and Mr. Forgach can laugh about their misadventures now, but trips, slips and falls in the operating room are no laughing matter. How do you prevent slips and trips in the OR for both staff and patients? Let us count the ways, based on our online survey of surgical facility leaders.
1. Keep floors dry. There are many ways to keep the OR floor dry, including wicking devices, absorbent mats set around the table and fluid waste suction systems. "We use intraoperative floor suction devices in high-fluid-volume cases such as arthroscopies, and absorbent wicking pads for traumas and high-fluidirrigation procedures," says Kim Hager, CST, of Aultman Hospital in Canton,
Ohio.
You can also prevent fluid from ever reaching the floor by using drapes that have built-in fluid collection bags. "All of our surgeons do shoulder procedures in the lateral position," says Mr. Forgach. "With these drapes, we don't have to worry about water on the floor, which is a
major hazard."
Other good practices to keep floors dry: Clean spills immediately, and let floors dry after mopping between cases. Still, slips can happen. Myron E. Lawson, lead
