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"I don't know if that need will ever go away entirely," he says. "We once had a
circulator slip and fall because there was some fluid on the floor and it got
very slippery," he adds. Fortunately she wasn't seriously hurt. "I think her
pride was damaged more than anything else," says Mr. Cooper.
Pride aside, such accidents can be serious. So it makes sense to pull out all
the stops to keep the OR floor dry and safe.
At the Rye (N.Y.) Ambulatory Surgery Center, the anti-slip-and-fall arsenal
includes not only a portable high-capacity suction unit, but also drapes with a
collection bag, and floor mats that are positioned around the perimeter of the
operating room table, just in case. "That combination usually contains every-
thing, so we've had no trouble with falls," says Maureen Simpson, RN, CNOR,
the center's OR and PACU manager. "We've been fortunate in that regard."
Fortunate, but also diligent and well prepared to catch every drop of liquid
that could threaten the health and wellbeing of her staff.
OSM
