Vol. XII, No. 2Archive > February, 2011
So You Want to Become Latex-Free?
From top to bottom, how one facility rid its ORs entirely of latex in 3 short months — and how you can, too.
Caryn Solomon, RN
A red rubber catheter. Would you believe that that's the only supply that we couldn't find a latex-free alternative for when we converted our hospital-based surgical center to a latex-free facility in October 2009? The ENT doctor who used the red rubber catheter in his tonsil cases now uses a flexible suction catheter instead, so technically, yes, we're 100% latex-free. We switched everything from medication vials — although many of the rubber stoppers on vials still contain latex today — to Penrose drains to breathing bags for our anesthesia machines to IV tourniquets to gloves.
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