A P R I L 2 0 2 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 4 7
T
he patient came
in for a cys-
toscopy, a com-
mon outpatient
procedure that
only requires a person to be
on the table for about 25
minutes. But the procedure
does include slight
Trendelenburg positioning,
and this patient happened to
be at risk for a pressure
injury.
On top of the injury risk
inherent to the position, he
had shearing forces and
moisture, which wound up
being a perfect storm of
injury-inducing factors. In
the end, this patient came
out of surgery with a Stage 2 pressure injury (PI) as well as a deep
tissue injury because there was no intervention when intervention
was needed. This example was a real wake-up call for the periop
nurses who were in the OR that day because it revealed something
most staff — especially outpatient staff who generally don't see
pressure and skin injuries as something they need to worry about
— often aren't aware of: You can cause great damage to your
Make Pressure Injuries Never Events
Be proactive in protecting skin to prevent avoidable patient harm.
• PRONE TO PRESSURE Using molded foam inserts for the head of
prone patients — as opposed to regular square foam inserts — relieves
pressure on the forehead and chin.
Lehigh
Valley
Health
Network
Heather Kooiker, MSN, RN, CNL, CNOR, CRNFA | Wyoming, Mich.