how does your decontam accept instruments

[Guest]

Hi all!!

What is your expectation of the OR in how they bring back soilded instrumentation. Do you expect that they keep a clean table and keep things wiped off?? Do you allow them to bring you dried blood on instruments clamped shut. Maybe chucks of fat, tissue, bone attached?
We have some pretty sloppy techs here and some like to bring nasty tables back to us with the above mentioned. We recently put a policy in place that says that the instrumentation must come back to us semi-clean, or the tech comes back and takes care of it themselves. What does your facility expect?

[Lupe Barnes]

We would like all the instruments that come to Central semiclean however that is not the case we all know that, do you know a protocol that states that all instruments comming to Central should be opened and semiclean, please share with me therefore we can implemet it in our facility.
Thank you.
Lupe

[Guest]

I Recently Addressed Our Or Staff About The Same Problem. I Told Them That They Need To Remove Gross Visible Soil And Flush Out Instruments With Cannulas With Water Before Bringing Them To The Decontamination Room. This Is An Infection Control Issue As Well.

[Uprooted Scrub]

Goodness - I thought I was the only one that had a problem with the way our OR sends us instruments! Interestingly enough, when I was scrubbing I always did those things - I guess they just don't teach that in scrub tech school any more.

The AORN rule book (2004), page 309-310 states: "Open box locks...an enzymatic soak solution, spray, gel, or foam may be used...instruments should be kept free of gross soil during surgical procedures." AAMI says the same.

At my facility, I have written policies (read and signed by the scrub techs), approached the OR Charge Nurses many times, gone through the infection control nurse, risk manager as well as our Chief Nursing Officer - pretty much everything I can think of to favorably influence the scrubs and nurses in the OR to follow AORN/AAMI recommendations. All met with negative results.

I guess the best thing we can do is keep trying to do the best we can for our patients - regardless of the inability or just plain stubborn nature of our OR peers.

BJ

[Guest]

We are directly supervised by the OR director. Most times she is very open to my suggestions as lead tech and will support me. I was just curious what other places expect of their OR's and if I was out of line by wanting things to be semi clean/ free of gross contaminates. Sounds like you all have the same concerns.
Thanks for your responses.

[Guest]

Isn't it our job to clean instruments? We even go right down to the OR and pack up the instruments. With totals they fill a hand basin that has water in and fill it up with the most dirty instruments. The reamers of course can not fit in there but we clean up the instruments as soon as they are done. They call when they are finished. Lets not forget why we are here.

[Carolyn.DavisCrownPoint]

The instruments from the OR , come back closed and sometimes restrung. Also the reamers are full of bone , etc. The OR does not have sufficent areas to clean the instruments. That's my job!

[CAROL]

Our O.r. Is Responsible For Removing The Gross Contaminates In The Rooms.the Scrub Nurses Should Keep The Instruments Rinsed Off Duriing The Procedure. When The Gross Contaminates Are Left On The Instruments For Long Periods Of Time , It Begins To Damage The Instruments. Ortho Cases Can Run For Hours. It Is Vertually Impossible To Remove All Of The Contaminates From Some Of Our Complicated Instruments. If It's Not Clean, It's Not Sterile

[Guest]

at our facility we have a container on wheels, with enzymatic in it that all the instruments that are used in the or are put in. that way most of the instruments are semi clear of debris when we clean them. of course not all are, but that way we dont get anything dried on.

[Guest]

Decontamination starts in the OR, not in decontamination!! With the Scrub techs help, we can keep our instruments looking good and functional. It IS their responsibility to keep a clean and orderly table during a case and that includes not sending back instruments with specimens hanging off of them! I will not tolerate closed instruments nor an unusual amount of contaminate on them.