Operating Room (OR)

AORN 'Recommended Practices for Sterile Technique' is Open for Comment

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) has posted online for public comment its "Recommended Practices for Sterile Technique.” The AORN 'Recommended Practices for Sterile Technique' provide guidance for establishing and maintaining a sterile field. ...More
September 10, 2012
Posted in News, Policies and Practice, PPE & Standard Precautions
New Antibacterial Coating for Sutures Could Reduce Infections After Surgery

Responding to an urgent need for better antibacterial coatings on surgical sutures, scientists are reporting the discovery of a new coating that is almost 1,000 times more effective than the most widely used commercial coating. Their report appears in the American Chemical ...More
August 29, 2012
Posted in News
Researchers Identify Postoperative Complications Posing Strongest Readmission Risk

Postoperative complications are the most significant independent risk factor leading to 30-day hospital readmissions among general surgery patients, according to a new exploratory study published in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. ...More
August 28, 2012
Posted in News
Product Evaluation and Purchasing Advice for Perioperative Nurses and Infection Preventionists

Healthcare encompasses an enormous range of supplies, equipment and instruments, ranging from drug-delivery products to wound management supplies, textiles, procedure and surgical supplies, and innumerable infection prevention and control-related supplies. Well-informed ...More
August 17, 2012
Posted in Articles, Policies and Practice
Could FastStitch Device be the Future of Suture?

After a surgeon stitches up a patient's abdomen, costly complications -- some life-threatening -- can occur. To cut down on these postoperative problems, Johns Hopkins undergraduates have invented a disposable suturing tool to guide the placement of stitches and guard ...More
August 16, 2012
Posted in News
Going Above and Beyond: Improving Internal Customer Satisfaction

There is no question that the work done by central service (CS) departments in healthcare organizations across the country has a direct impact on the health and safety of patients. The technicians in CS departments are charged with properly sterilizing instruments used in ...More
August 13, 2012
Posted in Articles, Disinfection & Sterilization
Surgical Patient Safety Program Lowers SSIs by One-Third Following Colorectal Operations

A surgical patient safety program that combines three components—accurate outcome measurement, support of hospital leadership, and engaged frontline providers—reduces surgical site infections (SSIs) by 33 percent in patients who undergo colorectal procedures, according to a ...More
July 30, 2012
Posted in News
Slide Show: 2012 State of the Industry

ICT presents highlights from the 2012 State of the Industry report, our third annual exploration of demographics and trends in five healthcare segments: infection prevention, surgical services, sterile processing, environmental services and materials management. ...More
June 28, 2012
Posted in Galleries, Disinfection & Sterilization, Environmental Hygiene, Policies and Practice
AORN and the Joint Commission Recognize National Time Out Day

In a letter sent today by email to hospital and ASC leadership, the Joint Commission’s president, Mark R. Chassin, MD, FACP, MPP, MPH, and AORN’s executive director/CEO Linda K. Groah, MSN, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC, FAAN, urged facility administrators to use National Time Out Day ...More
June 12, 2012
Posted in News
Group Calls for Stronger Compliance Measures for Needlestick Prevention

The organization Safe in Common (SIC) says it welcomes the release of a joint recommendation by federal government agencies for the increased use of needlestick prevention devices within the operating rooms of U.S healthcare facilities, but said it did not go far enough in ...More
June 7, 2012
Posted in News