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