Retention Of Surgical Pack : Abc Hospital

The plaintiff in Ard v. East Jefferson General Hospital, stated on 20 May, she had rang the nurses station to inform the nursing staff that her husband was experiencing symptoms of nausea, pain, and shortness of breathe. After ringing the call button for several times her spouse received his medication. Mrs. Ard noticed that her husband continued to have difficulty breathing and ringing from side to side, the patient spouse rang the nursing station for approximately an hour and twenty-five minutes until the defendant (Ms. Florscheim) enter the room and initiated a code blue, which Mr. Ard didn’t recover. The expert witness testified that the defendant failed to provide the standard of care concerning the decease and should have read the physician’s progress notes stating patient is high risk upon assessment and observation. The defendant testified she checked on the patient but no documentation was noted. The defendant expert witness disagrees with breech of duty, which upon cross-examination the expert witness agrees with the breech of duty. The district judge, upon judgment, the defendant failed to provide the standard of care (Pozgar, 2012, p. 215-216) and award the plaintiff for damages from $50,000 to $150,000 (Pozgar, 2012, p. 242).

Has anyone ever considered how medical devices are prepared before a surgical procedure? Central Sterile Processing Department (CSPD) consists of services within the Hospital, in which reusable medical devices will be cleaned, prepared, and processed. The role for CSPD is to prevent infection transmitted by usage of medical devices. The procedure for hospital medical devices before surgery has a four part workflow process in: Decontamination, to Instrumentation, to Sterilization and Sterile Storage (Case Carts). An example is given for reprocessing an Intestinal Set and the supplies needed for the preparation of this medical device set.

Only when it is absolutely necessary should a catheter be inserted into a patient. Every patient is assessed for the need for a Foley catheter. If the Foley is inserted, assessments are also then done daily to see if the need is still valid. If the reason is not justifiable the catheter must be removed from the patient (Joint Commission releases new NPSG for CAUTI, 2011). Nurses must follow guidelines while inserting indwelling catheters as well. Aseptic technique is critical to maintain during this process. The use of sterile equipment and a sterile procedure helps to reduce the risk of CAUTI. If in any way the catheter becomes contaminated during the process of insertion, the nurse should discard of the entire catheter and start with a new, sterile kit. Proper hand hygiene is very important before and after contact with indwelling catheters to decrease risk of infection. Maintenance of a close drainage is system is also important that way bacteria are not able to get in and cause infection (Revello & Gallo, 2013). Decreasing the number of times Foleys are inserted and how long they stay in for can help reduce the risk of CAUTI since the longer a Foley stays in, the higher the risk of infection becomes. Nurses must keep the catheter line patent, with no kinks to allow urine to flow freely through into the collection bag. When a urine sample must be obtained it must be done in a sterile

* The registrar should also be granted access to the surgeon’s office notes to review any demographic information. This will ensure consistency and identification of information that may not have been documented during the surgical check-in process.

* Aprons used for patients who have transmissible infection, or have been contaminated with blood or body fluids, should be discarded immediately into a yellow clinical waste bag.

All patients are at risk of pressure injuries. This risk is exacerbated when immobility and limited access to the surgically draped patient are a part of

Until recently it was not uncommon for patients admitted to an acute care facility to have an indwelling catheter anchored for unnecessary reasons. Patients that came in thru the emergency department typically were sent to the units with unnecessary indwelling catheters in place and it was not unusual for a surgery patient to have an indwelling catheter anchored before or during a procedure. Once a patient was admitted and was transported to the units nursing would also anchor indwelling catheters for multiple unnecessary reasons. These Catheters could be

Responses and follow-up – actions taken, information provided to meeting attendees and others affected by decisions made. (McConnell, 2014, pg. 545).

Use at least two patient identifiers when providing care. Double checking of ID bands and ID/Driver’s license of patient if possible. Using labels to mark all materials /items needed for the procedures. A two person check off procedure must be implemented. Items requiring labeling include: patient records, signed consents, and all assessments, diagnostic tests and x-rays. Also included should be any item that is needed for the procedure (blood products, devices, and equipment). Using a matching system, so that all items in the procedure area are matched to the patient. The matching system must be completed by a minimum of two staff members. These staff members should include a qualified staff member, nursing staff involved in the procedure, recovery room staff, and discharge staff.

The Plaintiffs felt that since the hospital was licensed and accredited that they should be held responsible for their employees and their actions. It states in the regulations that any infraction of the bylaws imposes liability for the injury. At any time if Dr. Alexander had questions or concerns he could have reached out to an expert in this field to consult

Mandatory in-services of all pre-op and surgical team will be conducted in regards to updated processes

The scrub and scout nurse are responsible for the management of all items used during the procedure (ACORN 2014-15, p. 94). The initial count should be performed before the surgery starts and that establishes a baseline for the subsequent counts (D’Lima, et al 2014). All items should be completely separated, counted audibly and viewed during the count and documented on the count sheet accurately by the scout nurse. A

Keep the bandage (dressing) over the exit site clean and dry. Do not remove the dressing until told by your health care provider.

Transition: Items have found inside of patients. There has been a lap sponge tucked in a pelvis, a 4 x 4 sponge in an arm, a clamp on a vessel, instruments in the abdomen, items left in spinal incisions. This is why we look.

Any item that is used on or inside a patient in the surgical setting must go through a rigorous process that includes being cleaned, checked for damage, and prepared for