devices with new ones during a few procedures.
"Only the nurses and techs knew which devices were reprocessed,"
says Ms. Chiasson. "The doctors used them and reported good results,
so they agreed to move forward with the use of reprocessed items."
The OR staff also keeps on top of the staple guns. The surgeons may
use only 7 of the gun's many staples during surgery, but that doesn't
mean they toss the gun into the biohazard bin. Staff at Memorial
Hermann make sure the guns go in the reprocessing bin instead of the
biohazard bin.
Some facilities may only use one reprocessing facility, but Memorial
Hermann sees the benefits of using two. "We get a better rate when
we use two, and some reprocessing facilities are better at reprocess-
ing certain items than others," says Ms. Chiasson. "Some may do a
better job reprocessing tourniquets than shavers, for example."
No paper, no printing
The surgery center also stopped printing patient images. It trialed a
new video tower that emails images to surgeons and to patients. It
also sends a digital image to the medical record.
"When we use paper, we print out 2 to 4 copies of each patient's
images, and those copies can be 3 to 4 pages long," says Ms. Chiasson.
"That's a lot of paper."
In the end, the center purchased 3 new towers and made plans to
upgrade an older tower now in use. While they wait for their new tow-
ers, the OR staff at Memorial Hermann will continue to find even
more ways to recycle, reprocess, repurpose and redirect.
"We have so many products in the OR," says Ms. Chiasson. "That's
why we do our best to be very conscious about medical waste. Each
department plays a role in the recycling process, and we are constant-
ly looking for opportunities to save."
OSM
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