Investments in ancillary systems, like absorbent floor mats and
disposable floor aspirators, have contributed to process efficiencies
and a dip in overall costs. The mats and aspirators work in concert
to soak up any fluid that might reach the floor during a case. The
benefits, according to Ms. Rhodes: improved OR safety and quicker
room turnover.
Safety first
Likewise, Skeet Todd, RN, BSN, CNOR, CPAN, RNFA, says an adjust-
ment to fluid-waste management has produced dividends for her sur-
gery center. Portable, large-capacity suction units that dock to a drain
have been a boon to safety, she says, because they protect staff from
potential infection, reduce ergonomic concerns and mitigate other
risks, like injuries from slip-and-fall accidents.
"When I first came here, in 2003, they were using big, fluid-filled
containers and literally putting 3,000-cc containers full of liquid in the
trash," says Ms. Todd, director of outpatient perioperative services for
Texas Spine and Joint Hospital in Tyler. "They were heavy, and they
could be punctured, so leaks were a source of concern."
The facility then moved to the same kind of solidifying agent used at
Ms. Rhodes's facility. It was an improvement, but still an imperfect
solution.
"The bags were still heavy — 45 to 50 pounds, in some cases — and
there was the possibility the top [of the container] could come off,"
she says. "If there was a spill, it wasn't fluid, but it was a gelatinous
mess."
Now, with the closed system, there's nothing to handle, no mess to
mop up. Ms. Todd admits cost can be an issue — she says the dollars
spent on the disposable manifolds add up quickly, plus there's the
$20,000 to $25,000 in capital cost per system, according to Practice
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