Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers

Work-Life Balance - January 2017 - 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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J a n u a r y 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 6 1 T he patient is intubated and in stirrups. Before you drape and tilt the table into Trendelenburg, remember that if a patient in tilt shifts or slides even a few centimeters on the OR table, a long list of serious injuries much more severe than sheared skin can occur. Some examples: • Shoulder restraints can compress or stretch the brachial plexus, with subsequent palsy, which can be permanent. • Stirrup posts can crush hands, pinch fingers, and bend wrists backward or forward. • The head-down tilt can raise intraocular pressure and intensify glaucoma. • Abdominal organs pushing toward the chest can lean so heavily on the lungs that they can't expand enough to oxygenate the blood, Trendelenburg Slide Stop the Positioning tips to keep patients safe while they're in a steep head-down tilt. Brent Klev, MBa, BSn, rn South Jordan, utah • FIRM HOLD Several restraints have been developed to keep patients from shifting or sliding while they're in a steep head-down tilt. Brent Klev, MBA, BSN, RN

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