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W A S T E
M A N A G E M E N T
I
n the wake of Stryker's voluntary recall of the Neptune 1 Silver and
Neptune 2 Waste Manage-ment Systems, Outpatient Surgery surveyed facilities hosting orthopedic cases about their preferred fluid
disposal options. More than half (57.4%) of our respondents say they
predominantly use portable suction units that roll to docking stations
for closed and automated direct-to-drain
disposal of fluid runoff.
Not surprisingly, most
of these respondents
cite safety as the main
factor driving their
purchasing decisions.
Effective suction, they
say, can prevent slips,
falls and injuries on
slick, puddled OR
floors. "Keep the floors
dry at all cost, for the
safety of the staff in
FLUID FACTORS Solidifying the contents
the room," says
of suction canisters can be safer, but more
expensive, than manually dumping them
Rebecca Vitillo, RN,
down the drain.
BSN, LNC, MSJ,
administrator and
director of nursing at the Meadows Surgery Center in Rutherford, N.J.
Suction with closed disposal shields surgical personnel from exposure to potentially infectious materials in fluid waste, says Janice
Stewart, RN, BSN, nurse administrator for the SurgCenter of Bel Air in
Maryland. "It is important for the safety of staff members to have a
closed system where contaminated fluid is not handled directly," she
N O V E M B E R 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
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