Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
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8 8 O U T P AT 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 | J U N E 2 0 1 4 4. May I use multiuse containers of skin antiseptic solution when performing preoperative patient skin antisepsis? No. In November 2013, the FDA issued a Drug Safety Communication requesting that manufacturers package antiseptics indicated for pre- operative skin preparation in single-use containers. The FDA did so in order to reduce the risk of infection from improper antiseptic use and contamination of products during use. In several case reports and non-experimental studies, contaminated skin antiseptics have been linked to patient infections. Simply put: Buy skin antiseptics in single- use containers, discard them after use and don't refill them. Put your- self in the patient's shoes. Do you want a bottle of skin prep that was used on 10 other patients to be used on you, or do you want a brand new bottle? 5. Should I use special methods when performing pre-op patient skin anti- sepsis of the hand or foot? Yes. When performing pre-op patient skin antisepsis of the hand or foot, perioperative team members should take care to apply the anti- septic to all surfaces between fingers or toes. Antisepsis may be dif- ficult in the areas between the fingers and toes, as it's difficult to reach all surfaces of the skin. In a randomized controlled trial of 50 patients undergoing foot surgery, researchers reported a significant reduction in bacterial recolonization of the foot with additional cleaning of the area between the toes. International studies from England, Australia and New Zealand describe a novel technique for skin antisepsis of the hand or foot that involves using a sterile bag. Researchers have found the bag technique to be effective in reduc- ing bacterial counts and application time. This bag technique is simi- lar to Shake 'n Bake, a flavored bread crumb-style coating for chick- en and pork. You fill a gallon-sized plastic bag with a couple of inch- S U R G I C A L S K I N A S E P S I S OSE_1406_part2_Layout 1 6/13/14 11:41 AM Page 88