Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Special Outpatient Surgery Edition - Cost Justification - January 2017

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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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 3 9 lead to antibiotic resistance. • Sanitize every- one. Some say it costs less to reduce nasal colonization in most patients than it does to screen them. New to the market are a few nasal antiseptic swabs that let you decolonize the nose without the risk and complexity of antibiotics, for about $10 per patient. Think hand sanitizer for your nose. Patients can apply the swabs the night or the hour before surgery. "Patients are already being asked to wash pre-operatively with CHG," says Ms. Segal. "This could be added to that regimen." One nasal sanitizer resembles a tube of ChapStick lip balm. It's made of ethyl alcohol and natural emollients. The night before surgery, patients snap a pre- filled ampule and then swab a tip around their nostril rims 6 times in each direc- tion. Another type employs a povidone-iodine solution and is as simple as using a Q-tip. About 1 hour before surgery, patients insert a premoistened swab into each nostril and rotate for 30 seconds, covering all surfaces. They repeat the application in both nostrils 4 times. "It's much less expensive and less time-consuming than screening and decolo- nizing, and is more pleasant for patients," says Ms. Segal. Plus, nasal sanitizing eliminates the need to screen patients for signs of S. aureus and delay surgery until treatment, if needed, is complete. OSM • SCREEN SHOT A nasal swab and culture test typically runs about $20. Pamela Bevelhymer, RN, BSN

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