Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Special Outpatient Surgery Edition - Surgical Construction - March 2019

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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tion you choose has a small footprint so it's unobtrusive as possible in a crowded area already filled with other equipment, instruments and members of the surgical team. Air quality considerations go beyond which type of laminar flow sys- tem you use, says Dr. Tingwald. He believes the best way to avoid contaminating the air in the OR is through designing a dual-entrance philosophy: patients enter through one door from a public corridor, which also is the way out for used equipment, while another door serves as a sterile entrance for staff. "Keeping that separation of flow is really critical," says Dr. Tingwald. That's not all. Mr. Lee says it's a good idea to make sure all wall and ceiling penetrations are properly sealed. "Some ORs can even become negatively pressurized for a brief time when air from adjoin- ing areas infiltrates the OR through electrical outlets, data ports, unsealed light booms, and other penetrations," he explains. "This is highly troubling because ceiling light booms are commonly situated within the sterile field, so dust and particulate matter can become deposited in the surgical site." Diligence over design Ultimately, says Dr. Tingwald, preventing infections goes beyond how well your ORs are built and what technologies you use. It's just as important to ensure proper infection prevention practices are fol- lowed during every case and for every patient. "From a patient's standpoint, they want to know that it's the safest room possible," he says. Build it right and maintain it right. The fight against infection never takes a day off. OSM 5 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A R C H 2 0 1 9

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