As healthcare providers, whether a nurse in surgery or the emergency department, a surgical technologist, or the administrator providing oversight in surgical services, your main goal is to provide excellent patient care. The team’s end goal is always to perform procedures that provide the “best outcomes” for every patient. To help ensure this goal is met, the surgical team must trust the products they utilize during the procedure are sterile and will effectively contribute to the techniques used.
As each team member pays detailed attention to the aseptic technique during a surgical case, they expect the products that touch patients’ lives to be safe for use. “Safe for use” in a surgical setting is ultimately defined as preventing the risk of contamination. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a survey for Surgical Site Infections, unfortunately, found there were an estimated 110,800 surgical site infections (SSIs) associated with inpatient surgeries in 2015.
Based on the 2020 Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI) data results published in the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) HAI Progress Report, there was about a 5% reported a decrease in the SSI standardized infection ratio (SIR) related to all NHSN operative procedure categories combined compared to the previous year in 2020.*
SSIs account for 20% of all HAIs and are associated with an 11-fold increase in mortality risk, with 75% of SSI-associated deaths directly attributable to the SSI. They are the costliest HAI type, estimated at $3.3 billion, and extend hospital length of stay by 9.7 days, with the cost of hospitalization increased by more than $20,000 per admission.
We Here to Help
Fortunately for surgical teams, Bioseal provides many single-use sterile products that assist in reducing SSIs. Thinking outside of the box and listening to customer needs, either in Sterile Processing or the Surgical Suites, they provide excellent solutions for each department’s needs that serve a community of patients and unique solutions in the industry.
Thoracic Procedure
Bioseal provides one item specifically for a common thoracic procedure, Chest Tube Placement. As we know, the indications for this procedure are to evacuate air or fluid from the chest cavity to prevent a pneumothorax or hemothorax.
This procedure treats and prevents Pleural Effusion, a condition that causes excess fluid buildup in the lungs. The pleura is a thin membrane covering the lungs and chest wall surface. Some fluid is always found, but the amount should be no more than a few teaspoons. Pleural effusion does not always cause problems, but severe cases can result in inflammation and difficulty breathing.
Once the tube is inserted and tied by suture, the chest tube is secured at the distal end to the pleura vac. Sterility of the instruments and equipment used on the sterile field in the procedure is essential to prevent SSIs.
Secure Chest Tube Solution
Although the chest tube is attached and secured to the pleura vac away from the surgical incision site, aseptic technique should be followed. This technique will deter any cross-contamination from foreign microbes.
Using a Bioseal sterile Cable Tie Gun on the field will provide assurances of reduced SSIs. This product will contribute to achieving the best patient outcomes. Lightweight and easy to use, this cable tie gun includes an automatic cutoff blade for removing excess tie and can tighten with one squeeze!
In Conclusion
The care and handling of devices used during a procedure is an integral part of a Surgical Technologists role. There are many steps to ensure the instruments and devices are well-maintained. Single-Use devices make for a more efficient process. As an SME in Sterile Processing and an Operating Room team member, we recommend your facility reaches out to Bioseal for these solutions.
References:
Cable tie gun - 17170. Bioseal Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.biosealnet.com/product/disposable-cab...
Barr bookmark_borderSubscribe, 6 J. 2022 B. D., Barr bookmark_borderSubscribe, B. D., Brian D. Barr bookmark_borderSubscribe Brian D. Barr leads the Food & Beverage and Technology segments of ABB Installation Products, Barr bookmark_borderSubscribe, B. D., & Brian D. Barr leads the Food & Beverage and Technology segments of ABB Installation Products. (2022, July 6). ABB Conversations - United States > How a small cable tie helps combat contamination in a big way. ABB Conversations United States How a small cable tie helps combat contamination in a big way Comments. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.abb-conversations.com/us/2022/07/how-...
PS; B. (n.d.). Surgical site infections: Epidemiology and prevention. Surgical infections. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12573036/
Surgical site infection - centers for disease control and prevention. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/pdfs/pscmanual/9pscssicu...