We numbered 22 rolls of tape and put them to use in the usual loca-
tions: some of them in OR case carts, some in the supply drawers in
same-day surgery's post-op rooms and some on nurses' stethoscopes.
Our in-house lab cultured the rolls after 5 and 8 days. Microbial
growth on the OR and post-op rolls was insignificant. But it was high-
er on the tape that RNs were carrying around with them. While the
lab's analysis concluded that the microbial levels weren't potential
sources of surgical site infections, and suggested that tape rolls could
safely be used until they ran out, it taught us that nurses shouldn't
carry tape on their person. Leave the rolls in the nearby drawer until
you need them, or else switch to tape-free dressings.
Denise Folmar, MSN, RN, CNOR
Susquehanna Health
Williamsport, Pa.
dfolmar@susqueh-
annahealth.org
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