Outpatient Surgery Magazine

No Guarantees - March 2017 - Subscribe to 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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impermeability. We don't want exposure to the patient and vice versa in the OR." The Buffalo Surgery Center in Amherst, N.Y., goes through about 25,000 gowns a year. The 3 things that matter most to the person with the purchasing power: good price, an ample cuff to grip gloves and strong permeability to prevent strikethrough. "My surgeons would complain if I bought a gown that's not imper- meable to strikethrough," says administrator Jeannette M. Moretti, RN, CNOR. "Otherwise, they just use what I give them." Ms. Moretti recently switched gown vendors to take advantage of better pricing ($1.44 apiece). She stocks only 2 sizes — "large and extra large fit everybody" — and prefers a longer cuff that stays snug on the wrist and secures the gloves in place. "A shorter cuff can pull up and expose the wrist," she says, calling that gap a perfect opportu- nity for blood and bodily fluids to contact a surgeon's skin. Appropriate level of protection How much barrier protection do your surgeons need? There are 4 lev- els of barrier performance, with Level 1 being the lowest level of pro- tection and Level 4 being the highest. The barrier performance classifi- cation levels are determined by a couple of factors: the gown's resist- ance to penetration by liquid contact, and the anticipated blood and bodily fluid exposure from the case. Gowns classified as Level 1 or 2 offer minimal or low barrier protection, while Level 3 or 4 gowns pro- vide moderate or high barrier protection. A cataract surgeon will need less protection than, say, a general or orthopedic surgeon. "The only ones I have ever used are Level 3 and 4," says Dr. Renton. "Level 3 is a little lighter, and adequate for the majority of the cases I do. We have Level 4, and the cost difference is negligible, so when I need them, they are there." M A R C H 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 5 9

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