Abstract
Injury may occur with a disorganized surgical tray in which sharps are covered with gauze or wrappers, needles are left loose on the tray, and when an unstable stand is used. Injury from hand-to-hand passing of sharps is common. Establish a sharps-free neutral zone on the tray to obviate hand-to-hand instrument transfer. Proper setup is facilitated by pre-arranged equipment sets for common procedures. Verify that instruments are sterile before unpacking them. Position the tray close to the field. Have all anticipated instruments on hand to prevent the temptation of improvising. Track sutures via sponge, magnet, or suture box. Use forceps to sift through the tray, especially during clean-up. One person should be assigned to clean up so sharps are traced appropriately. Keep sharps disposal containers close to the tray, and replace them before they are overfilled.
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Reference
Makofsky D, Cone JE. Installing needle disposal boxes closer to the bedside reduces needle-recapping rates in hospital units. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 1993;14(3):140–4.
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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
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Sobanko, J.F. (2015). The Surgical Tray. In: Levitt, J., Sobanko, J. (eds) Safety in Office-Based Dermatologic Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13347-8_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13347-8_2
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Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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Online ISBN: 978-3-319-13347-8
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