AORN 2009 Blog

Our safety and prevention products and programs are receiving a lot of attention from visitors. Even though it’s primarily aimed at surgical supply managers, our Med-Pack online pack management system is getting a lot of attention because the interactive program provides access to up-to-date industry information as well as performs safety analyses. Med-Pack was recently listed in Healthcare Purchasing News as one of the seven surgical supply innovations worth noting.

Available to any Medline pack customer, Med-Pack operates through a series of iViews, which are essentially microsites of specific information on topics such as safety, analysis tools, savings, standardization and supply management. Users click on icons to get the information they need, eliminating the need to surf numerous Web sites to track down relevant information such as latex-free options and industry initiatives.

Using Med-Pack’s Safety Center feature, users also can perform various analyses of pack components within the facility. For example, users can review the latex status on various pack components, with Med-Pack suggesting available latex-free alternatives. An overall safety analysis can also be done to identify sharps, radio opacity, AAMI gown levels and other potential safety issues. Information can be exported and merged into facility records.

One of the most interesting and popular demonstrations at the booth this year involves our new Sahara Super Absorbent O.R. Table Sheet, an innovative new product designed to keep the skin of surgical patients dry in an effort to reduce the risk of skin maceration. The table sheet contains a special polymer core technology that rapidly wicks fluids away and locks them in the material. It’s part of a feature on gowns and drapes in Healthcare Purchasing News' upcoming April issue.

It is truly impressive how the sheet absorbs the poured liquid during the demonstration and is practically dry to the touch in moments. It’s more than a novelty, however, as the operating room is a high-risk environment for pressure ulcers – 66 percent of all hospital-acquired pressure ulcers occur in surgical patients. A variety of fluids are present during surgery, such as blood and those used for irrigation, which can pool and cause maceration. In these conditions, the skin can break down in as little as 20 minutes, making it more vulnerable to shear and friction, thereby increasing the risk of developing a pressure ulcer.

The idea for the Sahara sheet actually came from a member of our perioperative advisory board, who commented during a meeting that while she had been able to improve outcomes by adding new pressure redistribution table pads, gel positioners and skin care products, she still felt that there was a need for a product that addressed the pooling of fluids in the O.R. Later in the meeting when we had a product demonstration on our super-absorbent underpads, she said ‘You need to turn that into an O.R. table pad.’ It was a great idea that we were immediately able to take to market.

Like the Sahara Table Sheet, Medline developed the new S.T.O.P. (Surgical Time Out Procedure) drape in answer to specific customer requests.

Wrong site surgery is the number one reported sentinel event to The Joint Commission. There have been 691 reported cases of wrong site surgery since they started keeping records in 1995. As of December 2007, it became the number one reported sentinel event. You can see the most recent sentinel event statistics here.

Available in a variety of configurations, such as a strip across the fenestration or a tag through a line holder, the S.T.O.P. drape features a "Time Out" sticker in the shape of a stop sign that must be removed before surgery can begin. The sticker provides a location to write and confirm the patient’s name, procedure, site and side, date, time and surgeon’s initials, and once completed is placed in the patient’s chart.