AORN Journal back issues from December 2007:
Reflecting on 2007 and preparing for 2008.(PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE)(Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses)
Dec 01, 2007; ... The end of the year brings us all an opportunity to reflect on our accomplishments and plan for the goals we wish to achieve in the new calendar year. At AORN, we have had a busy year preparing for the future of perioperative nursing and the future of our professional Association. The ...
New treatment available for varicose veins.(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... A new radio-frequency catheter is being used to treat some patients with varicose veins, according to an October 3, 2007, news release from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California. An estimated 25 million Americans, most of whom are women, suffer from varicose veins, a ...
I'll Google that.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Hello (or as we say, "G'day"), and a warm welcome from Australia, the land down under. Although our roles and the delivery of perioperarive nursing care vary internationally, as indeed, they do nationally and sometimes locally, we are nonetheless bound to each other by our practice of ...
Flash sterilization.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2007; ... In the comprehensive continuing education article "The New Era of Flash Sterilization" (Vol 86, July 2007), the author does a great job of describing the issues and concerns regarding flash sterilization, including increased risk of infection, delayed biological confirmations, higher ...
Using a leading zero with decimals.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2007; ... I enjoyed the article about the different types of nurses in today's OR ("Why Work in Perioperative Nursing? Baby Boomers and Generation Xers Tell All," Vol 86, October 2007). I am a Gen Xer myself; I celebrated my first year of OR experience on October 27! I loved the personal excerpts ...
Corrections.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Correction notice)
Dec 01, 2007 ... OCTOBER 2007, V0L 86, NO 4, PAGES 657-658. In the "Clinical Issues" question on home laundering of surgical scrub attire, the first bulleted item on page 658 should read: [If the organization requires personnel to home launder surgical attire, a suggested method of home laundering ...
Board revises mission and vision statements.
Dec 01, 2007; ... The AORN Board of Directors convened at AORN Headquarters in Denver, Colorado, on July 18 and 19, 2007. All Board members and executive staff members were present. Some committee leaders and members who were in Denver for the Leadership Conference also attended parts of the meeting. Former ...
Weight gain not recommended for obese pregnant women.(Board Report)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... Findings of a recent study indicate that women who are overweight or obese should limit or avoid weight gain during pregnancy, according to an October 1, 2007, news release from St Louis University in Missouri. The results of this study challenge the existing recommendation that all ...
Results of the 2007 AORN salary survey.(SPECIAL REPORT)(Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses)(Survey)
Dec 01, 2007; ... In August of 2007, AORN surveyed members and nonmembers to examine the status of perioperative nursing compensation in the United States. This market research study tracks compensation changes on a yearly basis and seeks to identify factors that influence how much perioperative nurses ...
Emerging technologies in the OR and their effect on perioperative professionals.(operating rooms)
Dec 01, 2007; ... When it comes to health care delivery, Americans are demanding an increase in quality and services and a decrease in cost. Particularly in the perioperative area, increasing the quality of health care delivery may require that a health care facility invest in new technologies, which may be ...
AORN salary calculator available online.(Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... The updated AORN Salary Calculator is now available online. Members may use the calculator year-round to gauge standard salaries for perioperative nurses and the factors that influence how salaries are paid. The salary calculator provides average salaries for perioperative nurses based on ...
The effects of electronic documentation in the ambulatory surgery setting.
Dec 01, 2007; ... Despite efforts to shorten the length of hospital stays and the use of managed care services to contain hospital costs, the price of hospitalization continues to rise. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that in 2003, the United States spent $1.7 trillion for health ...
Postoperative fever: to what is the body really responding?(1.4[??])
Dec 01, 2007; ... Mr B is in the second postoperative day after an intestinal rupture repair secondary to a small bowel obstruction. During morning report, the night-shift nurse relayed that Mr B had an oral temperature of 101.4[degrees] F (38.5[degrees] C) at 6 AM, though she noted no other immediate ...
Chemotherapy may lead to long-term cognitive impairment.(Survey)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... The cognitive impairment experienced by 14% to 45% of patients after cancer treatment can be long-lasting, according to a September 20, 2007, news release from Hurricane Voices Breast Cancer Foundation, Concord, Massachusetts. For severely affected individuals, these cognitive impairments ...
A team training program using human factors to enhance patient safety.
Dec 01, 2007; ... With the 1999 release of the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, (1) the issue of patient safety and the need to identify ways to avoid preventable adverse events came to the forefront. Many reports have documented the frequency of preventable ...
Grants available to attend 2008 Congress.
Dec 01, 2007 ... The AORN Foundation is offering grants for AORN members to attend AORN's 55th Congress in Anaheim, California. These grants are made possible by generous donations from the Integra Foundation and the Exhibitors' Advisory Committee. The deadline to apply for a grant is January 18, 2008 ....
Risks associated with exposure to surgical smoke plume: a review of the literature.(1.8 [??])
Dec 01, 2007; ... Surgical incision and dissection with electrosurgery, laser ablation, and ultrasonic scalpel dissection are widely used and recognized as major advances in surgical technique. These techniques, however, intentionally destroy human tissue, which creates a gaseous by-product commonly ...
Purchasing medications over the Internet is risky.(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... Consumers who purchase prescription medications from foreign Internet sites may put their health at risk and may not be saving money, according to a July 2, 2007, news release by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Purchasing medications over the Internet without a prescription is a ...
Transforming the OR into a classroom: Live From ... Kidney Transplant.(EDUCATIONAL INNOVATIONS)(operating room)
Dec 01, 2007; ... The patient is prepped and draped, the time out and OR briefing are complete, and the laparoscopic trocars have been placed. The surgeon has started the preliminary dissection of the kidney. In a nearby auditorium, a group of high school students has just viewed a video on aseptic ...
2008 Congress information: Saturday, March 29, to Thursday, April 3, 2008.
Dec 01, 2007 ... The AORN Congress is the premier event for perioperative RNs who wish to excel in their profession. Congress offers attendees a variety of opportunities for education and networking, including numerous peer-reviewed education sessions presented by prominent, industry-leading speakers; ...
Robotic telerounding may reduce hospital length of stay.(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... The use of robotic telerounding to supplement standard postoperative visits by surgeons may significantly reduce the hospital length of stay for patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery for morbid obesity, according to a July 12, 2007, news release from the American College ...
Intraoperative chemotherapy.(CLINICAL ISSUES)
Dec 01, 2007; ... QUESTION: We are going to begin administering chemotherapy in our OR. What precautions should we be following? ANSWER: Chemotherapy medications are considered to be hazardous. Precautions that should be followed when handling these substances are defined by the Occupational ...
Name tag lanyards in the OR.(CLINICAL ISSUES)(operation rooms)
Dec 01, 2007; ... QUESTION: Recently, administrators informed us that OR staff members must wear name tags, and they have provided us with lanyards to wear attached to the name tags. What is AORN's position on wearing a name tag in the OR? If a name tag is required, can we wear the lanyards around our ...
Credentialing guidelines for RN first assistants.(CLINICAL ISSUES)(registered nurses)
Dec 01, 2007; ... QUESTION: I have been asked to assist the credentialing department with creating credentialing guidelines for RN first assistants (RNFAs). What information should go into the guidelines regarding the activities that are appropriate for RNFAs? ANSWER: The "AORN official statement ...
Limiting hours for surgical residents enhances training.(CLINICAL ISSUES)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Limiting work hours for surgical residents may improve overall teaching effectiveness and increase the amount of OR experience that residents receive, according to a September 21, 2007, news release from the American College of Surgeons. Four years ago, the Accreditation Council for ...
The 2008 perioperative nurses' goals for safety.(PATIENT SAFETY FIRST)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Each year, the Joint Commission releases an updated set of National Patient Safety Goals to promote specific improvements in patient safety. Traditionally, these goals are presented in this column, with an emphasis on what new goals and requirements have been added and what has changed ....
Minimally invasive test may detect early pancreatic cancer.(American Association for Cancer Research)
Dec 01, 2007 ... A new, minimally invasive sampling technique may enable physicians to diagnose pancreatic cancer at a very early stage when treatment is most likely to succeed, according to an August 1, 2007, news release from the American Association for Cancer Research. Pancreatic cancer often is not ...
Using ultraviolet lighting to decrease the rate of infections.(EVIDENCE FOR PRACTICE)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery September 2007 Surgical site infection after total joint replacement is particularly dreaded by both surgeons and patients. Consequently, efforts have been placed on decreasing infection rates in this patient population. Reduced ...
Patient positioning and its effect on acute leg compartment syndrome.(EVIDENCE FOR PRACTICE)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery September 2007 Acute compartment syndrome in a normal limb is a complication of patient positioning during surgery that can lead to permanent neuromuscular damage. Indeed, there have been several reports of this complication as a ...
Reprocessing external fixation components.(EVIDENCE FOR PRACTICE)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery October 2007 Reprocessing and reusing medical devices that previously were designated as single-use devices is becoming a commonplace practice in health care settings as a strategy for reducing costs. The trend toward treating ...
The safety of reusing sterilized endotracheal tubes.(EVIDENCE FOR PRACTICE)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Journal of Clinical Anesthesia August 2007 Reprocessing of single-use devices is becoming more popular as a result of the escalating costs of health care. The FDA strongly recommends that reprocessed single-use devices meet the original manufacturers' quality ...
Nursing Care of the Pediatric Surgical Patient.(Book review)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Nursing Care of the Pediatric Surgical Patient second edition Nancy Tkacz Browne, Laura M. Flanigan, Carmel A. McComiskey, and Pam Pieper 2007, 531 pages $99.95 hardcover [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pediatric nursing is a complex specialty. Nurses caring for pediatric ...
Perioperative Pharmacology Reference Book and Perioperative Pharmacology Pocket Guide.(Book review)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Perioperative Pharmacology Reference Book and Perioperative Pharmacology Pocket Guide CCI 2006, 63 pages and 71 pages, respectively $30 softcover and $20 spiralbound, respectively, or $45 for both [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] These two books, a reference book and a pocket ...
The Practice of Patient Education: A Case Study Approach.(Book review)
Dec 01, 2007; ... The Practice of Patient Education: A Case Study Approach 10th edition Barbara Klug Redman 2007, 176 pages $39.95 softcover [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This book presents pertinent information for readers to use in patient teaching. It provides information on patient ...
Educational opportunities.
Dec 01, 2007 ... Periop 101: A Core Curriculum Periop 101: A Core Curriculum--formerly called AORN's Perioperative Nursing Course 101--is a comprehensive, administrator-led, online program for educating new perioperative nurses. The curriculum covers 26 crucial topics and is designed to be ...
40 years ago in the AORN Journal.(Perioperative Time Capsule)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... An article titled "Respect or Fear?" explains that the "horror stories" about medication side effects that are reported in the popular press often are not founded on scientific fact. * A member of the AORN Committee on Surgical Technician Programs introduces a manual of instruction for OR ...
30 years ago in the AORN Journal.(Perioperative Time Capsule)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... The "President's Message" attempts to clear up misunderstandings about the AORN standards. Members, industry representatives, and physicians often interpret them as mandatory regulations instead of guide lines for optimal practice. * A news item reports that the majority of directors of ...
20 years ago in the AORN Journal.(Perioperative Time Capsule)(Association of periOperative Registered Nurses )(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... An article offers solutions to common problems for ambulatory surgery centers, such as selecting appropriate patients and attracting physicians. * A news item reports that the risk of contracting toxic shock syndrome is strongly associated with increased tampon absorbency, regardless of ...
10 years ago in the AORN Journal.(Perioperative Time Capsule)(association of periOperative registered nurses )(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... An article on surviving in a new workplace laments that the days of staying at one work setting for an entire nursing career are long gone, and job security is a thing of the past. * A series of articles discusses minimally invasive treatment of coronary artery disease and direct coronary ...