Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Healing is Coming - February 2021 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

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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T he couple minutes you spend applying a nasal antiseptic to joint replacement patients before they undergo surgery is well worth your time. I tested the impact nasal decolonization had on my hospital's hip and knee arthro- plasty outcomes and discovered the easy-to-apply method improved an already low SSI rate — and resulted in more than $400,000 in avoided costs associ- ated with treating post-op infec- tions. Before achieving these impressive results, we had to reassess how patients were prepped for procedures and determine the best approach moving forward. A new method Through periodicals and other infection prevention resources, the infection prevention depart- ment at the hospital became aware of several products that were available to reduce the intranasal colonization of methi- cillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin- sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). It has been estimated that MRSA is the responsible pathogen in 63% of SSIs occurring after total joint replacements. We discovered that up to one-third of the population is colonized with MSSA or MRSA on their skin and in their nose, and that it could possibly cause them to have an infection in the site where they have surgery. We also learned that none of the hospitals in our health system were using nasal decoloniza- tion as an SSI prevention tool, but the practice was in place at other facilities in our region. I wanted to keep our hospital in line with the oth- ers in the area, so I looked at how Emory University Hospital — one of the top facilities in the Atlanta area — managed their joint replacement patients. 3 2 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 Nasal Decolonization Slashed Our SSI Rates The simple pre-op practice eliminated infections and saved our hospital several hundred thousand dollars. Susan Franklin, RN I Austell, Ga. DOLLARS AND SENSE Standardized nasal decolonization is a cost-effective alternative to treatment with mupirocin ointment. Pamela Bevelhymer

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