Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Special Outpatient Surgery Edition - Infection Control - May 2018

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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5 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 • M A y 2 0 1 8 S ome may view pre-cleaning instruments as unglamorous grunt work, but manually wiping, soaking and hand- scrubbing the tools of surgery is the key to preventing biofilm buildup. You've heard it many times before, but it bears repeating: It's impossible to disinfect or sterilize inadequately cleaned instruments. Just ask Porter Adventist Hospital. Biofilm appears to be behind the infection breakout that last month forced the Denver hospital to suspend all surgeries for nearly a week. We don't know for certain what caused post-op infections in several patients who had orthopedic or spine surgery performed at the hospital over the last couple of years, but a trail of evidence points to improper instrument cleaning practices and the hidden menace known as biofilm. Margaret Wasserman, BSN, RN, CNOR | Chicago, Ill. Combat Biofilm Tips to prevent bacteria's slimy fortress from forming on your instruments. • SLIMY CULPRIT More than 60% of correctly-processed surgical instruments exhibit residual protein soiling. Pamela Bevelhymer, RN, BSN, CNOR

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