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Outpatient Surgery E-Weekly

Malpractice Verdicts Often Favor Physicians

Physicians come out on the winning end of 80% of malpractice claims that end in jury verdicts, according to researchers at Massachusetts General Hos...

Study: CT Colongraphy Effective in Finding Polyps

A CT-scan-based, laxative-free "virtual colonoscopy" may be as effective as standard colonoscopy in finding potentially cancerous polyps, according ...

Wrong-Site Prevention Video Shows the Right Way

Wrong-site, wrong-patient and wrong-procedure surgery must be prevented at all costs. The 3 steps of the Joint Commission's Universal Protocol make ...

Archive > April, 2010 Vol. XI, No. 4

8 Ways to Improve Your OR Air Quality

Employ a mix of engineering controls and best practices to clear the air of harmful contaminants.

Irene Tsikitas, Associate Editor

You can't see them, but they're there: microscopic blood and tissue particles, waste anesthetic vapors, latex residue and, yes, even cyanide. At any given time during a surgical procedure, one or more of these airborne contaminants could be swirling around in your ORs. Here are 8 measures you can take to protect both patients and staff from the potentially harmful aerosols that are, in some cases, inevitably generated during surgery.

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