spine or total hip — we make
sure the patient is pre-warmed in
pre-op, using warm blankets
and/or a forced-air patient
warmer. But it's always good
practice to put a patient warmer
on any patient who feels cold
before surgery, or who's about to
have a longer procedure. Keep
the warmer on patients during the
procedure, if possible, and be
sure to cover them as quickly as
possible in the OR to minimize
body temperature drop. Keeping
patients warm, comfortable and
at a stable temperature reduces
the risk of infection.
6. Have the right
equipment and enough
of it
If your instrument trays aren't
keeping up with your caseload,
you can get caught in an instru-
ment and equipment crunch and
end up relying too much on flash-
ing between procedures. When
that happens, it's time to purchase
more inventory and to think
about ways to better accommo-
Introducing a CHG-compliant skin marker designed
to make an indelible mark on patient safety.
Tough enough to stand up to chlorhexidine and
high-alcohol skin preps. Safe enough for all skin
types. Durable surgical marking that makes a
difference to patients—and budgets.
Contact OP-marks™
for additional information and
customization requests.
Wrong site surgery is costly.
Preventing it shouldn't be.
Visit us at AORN Booth 1316 to learn more!
OSE_1403_part2_Layout 1 3/5/14 10:52 AM Page 79