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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erative warming in the OR." Going with the flow As the infection preventionist for Imperial Calcasieu Surgical Center in Lake Charles, La., Sherry White, RN, BSN, CNOR, is highly sensitive to anything that might contribute to an SSI. She doesn't consider forced air a threat to her track record: zero infections in the past two years. Her facility uses forced-air warming blankets in the OR and PACU for patients who are under anesthesia for procedures lasting 45 minutes or longer. As a supplemental measure, the center offers warmed cotton blankets in pre-op, the PACU and the discharge area. Later this year the center intends to test the efficacy of patient- adjustable warming gowns that use the same forced-air technology. She believes it will provide flexibility for greater patient comfort. "[The gown] goes directly against the skin," Ms. White says, "so if they go to move the patient, it's not going to slip off, compared to the forced-air warming blankets." She hopes the warming gowns, which the center expects to trial in the second quarter, will help to decrease the number of cotton blan- kets used per patient — likely trimming laundry costs as a result. Such a reduction would be especially helpful on high- volume days. "The blanket warmer can hold only so many blankets," she says. "We have to constantly restock, and some days we just hope we've got enough linens to get through our day." Jeanie Skibiski, CRNA, RN, MHA, DNAP, can relate. She says the forced-air warming gown has helped her facility, Mercy Orthopedic Hospital in Ozark, Mo., reduce costs associated with laundry and utili- ties, while contributing to greater patient satisfaction. "A lot of times the room temperature would be at 66 [degrees] and 1 3 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J a n u a r y 2 0 1 7