5 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0
I
f you want to
start a nasal
decoloniza-
tion program,
you must first
choose a nasal sanitiz-
er: either pre-moist-
ened, ready-to-use
povidone-iodine swab-
sticks that look like Q-
tips or a single-use
ampule shaped like a
tube of lip balm that
combines ethanol
with emollients. Next,
you must decide
whether you'll swab
the nostrils of all your
patients an hour or so
before surgery, or just
decolonize the nares
of those patients get-
ting any type of implant: mesh, biological or hardware.
Regardless of the product and patients you choose, by joining the
growing number of surgical facilities that have found nasal decolo-
nization to be a simple and inexpensive way to deactivate the germs
that are present in every person's nasal passages, you'll help stop the
Nasal Antisepsis Done Right
4 tips to stop staph where it lurks.
• BY A NOSE An alcohol-based antiseptic is a patient-friendly way to inhibit the
growth of nasal Staphylococcus aureus.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
Dan O'Connor | Editor-in-Chief
