Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers

Backbreaker - Outpatient Surgery Magazine - April 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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1 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 1 9 O ur nurses and techs used to crawl around on their hands and knees in search of a suture needle missing from the final count. Not only were we at risk of a needlestick, but these tiny nee- dles were extremely difficult to find. Now we stand upright when we search for a missing needle, rolling a magnetic sweeper across the OR floor to find fallen needles. When the sweeper picks up a needle (or a blade or any other sharp), we use tape to remove it to guard against getting stuck. You can buy a magnet- ic needle finder from a surgical ven- dor for about $200, or you can pick one up at your local home improve- ment store — builders, mechanics and woodworkers use the sweepers to pick up nails and screws off of workshop floors. Stacie Lovellette, CST Parkview Surgery One Fort Wayne, Ind. stacie.lovellette@parkview.com NEEDLESTICK PREVENTION Fallen Suture Needles? Let Magnetic Sweeper Find Them on the OR Floor Ideas Work P r a c t i c a l p e a r l s f r o m y o u r c o l l e a g u e s That • MAGNETIC ATTRACTION A magnetic sweeper is a handy tool to have around for fallen suture needles, which are hard to see and even harder to pick up. Stacie Lovellette, CST

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