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O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | J U LY 2 0 1 5
I D E A S T H A T W O R K
S
urgical facility leaders are a resourceful bunch. They've never met an OR problem
they couldn't solve with duct tape, paper clips and a healthy dose of ingenuity.
Slicing open a plastic shower rod or a foam pool noodle as a cord-container may
sound crazy — but it's just crazy enough to work. Imagineering, they call it. Here are 6 of our
favorite reader-supplied workarounds.
1. Cord control. Sick of cords tripping surgeons and staff? Enlist the help of
everyday objects like foam pool noodles to contain the cords at the foot of
the patient's bed. Slice the noodle, which has a hole in the middle, from
end to end to make a clamshell-like structure. Then place the cords inside
the noodle and move it to the end of the bed. You can also use shower cur-
tain rods. Cut the rods into 2-foot-long sections, and similar to the noodles,
slice those vertically. Then, wrap the cut rods around cords at the base of the
OR table to keep them out of the surgeon's way. Both options are a cheap
solution for pesky cords, with each DIY container costing less than $1.
2. Ouchless tape removal. Reduce patients' pain as you remove tape
from their skin with alcohol-based hand sanitizing foam or gel. For
paper tape, apply the foam or gel on top and let it soak through for easy
removal. For other types of tape, pull up a small corner and rub the sani-
tizer back and forth on the skin between the tape and the skin, where it's
still sticking. Not only does it make tape removal easier, this method
also keeps skin at the IV or dressing site clean and germ-free.
3. Tough case. To store your delicate instruments, optics and elec-
tronics, use an inexpensive plastic handgun case. These cases
INNOVATIVE IDEAS
6 Neat Workarounds
