Greenhealth estimates (osmag.net/Y7sFGj)
— but she considers it a worthwhile invest-
ment. Besides the protections a closed sys-
tem affords, some units double as smoke
evacuators.
"You have to weigh the costs over the
possibility of a workers' comp injury," she
says. "If you prevent someone from get-
ting hurt with a back injury, it's a wash. It
will more than offset the cost of the mani-
folds."
Ms. Todd thinks the capital cost will be
less of an issue going forward. Vendors
may be willing to negotiate on the cost of
the equipment — even providing them for
free, in some cases — in exchange for a
purchase commitment on X number of
disposables.
"For someone who doesn't have a big
capital budget, that can be a huge deal,"
she says.
Environmentally friendly
Emerald Coast Surgery Center in Fort
Walton Beach, Fla., used to red bag just
about every drop of fluid waste coming
from its 5 ORs and 2 GI suites. Now most
of it gets solidified and disinfected, sitting
for 12 hours before getting earmarked for
the trash bin. Jeniffer Ferrell, RN, the mul-
9 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 • A P R I L 2 0 1 7
• LIQUID TO SOLID
Powdered solidifying
agents can help to
reduce red-bag waste.
• NO CANISTERS TO
DUMP
A docking station
automatically empties
the liquid waste closed
systems suction and
collect during surgery.
• DOWN THE HOPPER
Manually opening plastic
canisters and pouring the
contents down the drain
can pose a significant risk
of splashing or aerosoliza-
tion of bloodborne
pathogens for OR staff.
