Safety In The Or

Subject: The importance of wearing eye protection and other protective equipment in the Operating Room and in life.

Eyewear or a face shield is worn whenever a risk exists of blood or body fluids from the patient splashing into the eyes of sterile team members. Bone chips and other things could splatter and can be projected from bone-cutting instruments. Several types of masks, goggles, and eye glasses with side shields fit securely against the face. Antifog goggles fit over prescription eye glasses. A combination surgical mask with an eye shield or a chin-length face shield are other options. Laser eye wear must be worn for eye protection from laser beams. Protective eye wear, preferably a face shield, should be worn by personnel handling or washing instruments because this activity could result in a splah, spray, or splatter to the eyes or face.

Aseptic and sterile techniques, based on scientific principles, are carried out to prevent transmission of microorganisms that can cause infection. Microorganisms are invisible, but they are present in the air and on many different objects. To prevent infection, all possible measures are taken to create and maintain a nice safe environment for the patient and the staff. The purpose of precautions in the operating room is to prevent transmission of pathogenic microorganisms from the patient to the personnel, from one patient to another patient, and from personnel to the patient. Isolation techniques separate an infected patient from other non-infected, susceptible patients.

When in the Operating Room one should make sure that he or she takes all considerations as far as safety is concerned, Safety for the patient, the surgeons, the circulator, and themselves. If someone was doing a case in the operating room without wearing their safety glasses or something to protect their eyes, he or she could risk being contaminated by someone else's blood, maybe even diseased blood. If a patient has human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or AIDS, their blood could seriously injure someone. If I had an open wound by my eye and I were assisting in a surgery without any eye protection, if the patient's blood splattered everywhere, including my eye, I could risk my own eye sight. If there were an open cut on my foot and I did not have on the appropriate protection to protect my feet, I could risk being admitted to the hospital myself for an infection in my foot.

When in the operating room, one should also ensure that he or she wears a gown to protect themselves for contamination. If I accidentally forgot to put on a gown, numerous horrible things could happen such as, blood on my clothes, skin, or into an open sore that may be present on my body. It is not good practice, it is harmful to myself and the patient, and it is not professional.

Another important object to make sure that you wear in the operating room is your mask. This protects you and others for harmful bacteria present in the operating room. Participating in a surgery without a mask is by far the worst thing you could do. It triumphs all other protective wear in the operating room (in my opinion). If I were assisting in an open case and I were doing it without a mask, countless incidents could happen that could harm the patient staff, and most importantly, myself. If an older patient or just a patient with a horrible immune system, ie: an HIV patient, were being operated on and I forgot mask, then I sneezed because I had a cold, that could cost that patient's life. Where I thought that it was a harmless sneeze that did not matter, the patient in front of me has an extremely weak immune system. Did I know that that particular patient had HIV? That does not matter. Did I mean to sneeze on or in front of the patient. It does not matter. What