mine if you need to adjust how you manage the disposal of the poten-
tially infectious byproducts of surgery — namely, blood and other
forms of fluid waste.
You could dump fluids manually, which is likely the simplest and
most economical option, but it may also expose staff to infection and
ergonomic hazards. Or you could invest in solidifying and decontami-
nating agents that may help you to trim the amount of red-bag waste
that has to be hauled off at a premium. Or, for the ultimate in staff
safety — and capital costs — you could opt for a stationary direct-to-
drain system that is hard-plumbed into the sanitary sewer, or a
portable system on a cart that employs a docking station for automat-
ed drainage to the sanitary sewer. We talked to 3 surgical facility lead-
ers about why they altered their approaches to fluid-waste manage-
ment.
Spend a little, save a lot
The unpleasant odor, or lack thereof — that's what Rebecca Rhodes,
CST, notices most since her surgery center shifted its approach to
handling fluid waste. She's not the only one who detects a change in
the air.
"We're a small facility, so the biohazard room is close to PACU,"
says Ms. Rhodes, materials manager for Wesmark Surgery Center in
Sumter, S.C. "When that room would get smelly, patients had to deal
with it. Now, I never once smell it. It's much more pleasant for
patients, and the nurses, too, especially when you're at the nurses sta-
tion all day."
It's a matter of then versus now. When it first opened, the surgery
center did mostly urological procedures. It has since grown to include
orthopedics, ENT, podiatric procedures and "lots of GI," says Ms.
A P R I L 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 8 9