How much do you know about the sterile environment in the operating room?

The three words "operating room" are often associated with life and death in the eyes of ordinary people. Most people think that there are only two outcomes after entering the operating room and getting on the operating table, so many family members waiting outside the operating room feel helpless and nervous. In fact, the operating room in the hospital does give people a feeling of being in a restricted area. There is always a sign "No entry for outsiders" hanging at the door, which invisibly gives people an infinite reverie. They always want to take a walk around the operating room to see what secrets are hidden in this mysterious and terrifying environment. Next, I will transform into your "secret agent" and lead you to the operating room to find out. I hope that through my explanation, everyone can have a new understanding of the operating room.

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There is always a special group of people in the hospital. They are dressed differently from ordinary nurses. They are always fully armed - wearing green surgical gowns, masks, hats and rubber gloves, with their eyes exposed. Why do they have such equipment and why do they wear it differently from others? All of this is actually to fully achieve the word "sterile". At this point, some friends may ask, what is sterility? Why should the operating room be sterile? How can it be sterile? Don't worry! Let me tell you slowly.

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1. What exactly does “sterility” mean in the operating room?

In fact, if we take the word "sterile" separately, everyone can understand its meaning from its literal meaning. Now, we just add a specific environment in front of these two words - hospital, and it is the operating room in the hospital. At this time, many people will feel confused. In fact, it's nothing! It's just that in the operating room, there are unique sterile concepts and operating rules belonging to the operating room. In the actual operation process, although sterile management is carried out before the operation, including the operator washing hands and disinfecting, and the instruments and items are disinfected, etc., these can only be relatively sterile. At this time, in order to further improve the sterile environment, certain sterile operating rules are needed to ensure that the sterilized and disinfected items or the surgical area are not contaminated. Only in this way can we better provide help to patients and ensure the safety of patients to a certain extent.

2. How to create a sterile environment in the operating room

Any food has its unique two-sided nature, and the construction of a sterile surgical environment is no exception. As we all know, when constructing a sterile environment, it is mainly based on the external environment and the internal environment of the personnel.

2.1 External environment construction

The so-called external environment actually refers to the natural environment construction in the operating room, which mainly includes interior design and instrument installation. The most important of these is air purification. The air purification in the operating room is extraordinary. This is mainly reflected in the fact that the equipment used is a dedicated air purification technology. Each clean operating room should use an independent purification air conditioning unit, and the purification system should be equipped with at least three levels of air filtration.

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The reason for such a requirement is mainly for surgical safety considerations, because during the operation, invasive operations will be performed on the patient's body. No matter how big or small the wound is, it may be infected by bacteria, so the environment must be absolutely sterile. Secondly, strict sterility must be implemented in people or objects that directly contact the patient. The possibility of infection caused by improper sterile operation by the doctor during the operation is greater. Therefore, strengthening comprehensive sterile control and management and formulating comprehensive safeguards are also important tasks in the construction of sterile operating rooms.

2.2 Internal environment of personnel

In the process of building a sterile environment in the operating room, the main measure is to strengthen the sterile awareness of everyone in the operating room. Only when the sterile awareness is deeply engraved in everyone's bones can the patient's safety be guaranteed to be 99.99%. At this time, someone will ask why it is not 100.00%. Because there is no truly perfect thing in the world, what doctors have to do is to do their best to ensure the safety of patients. In detail, (1) Distinguish between sterile and contaminated: This aspect is mainly for preoperative preparation. When we watch TV dramas or documentaries, we always find that some doctors raise their hands after washing their hands before surgery. This is mainly because it is clinically stipulated that the area above the waist and below the shoulders, from the anterior axillary line on both sides to the chest area is a sterile area. Therefore, if doctors want to ensure their own sterility before surgery, they must raise their hands flat. At the same time, before the end of the entire operation, after wearing surgical gowns and gloves, hands should not touch non-sterile areas. During the operation, only operations are allowed in the sterile area, and contact with non-sterile areas is considered contaminated.

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(2) Methods to ensure sterility during surgery: Before making an incision, do not touch the patient's sterilized skin at will with your hands wearing sterile gloves. When touching, use sterile gauze and throw it away after use. If the sterile sheet has lost its sterile isolation function due to water, pus, blood, etc., it should be covered with a sterile sheet. Keep quiet during the operation and do not chat or make loud noises. When you have a necessary conversation or cough occasionally, do not face the surgical area to prevent droplet contamination. Replace the mask when it gets wet. When sweating a lot, you should tilt your head to one side and have someone else wipe it off to prevent sweat from falling into the surgical area.

Conclusion

The operating room is a place that requires close cooperation. Whether it is hardware facilities or interpersonal collaboration, every link will have an impact on the patient's treatment. For medical staff, "sterility" is the most important thing, because this thing is not just as simple as making the room clean and tidy, it can also save lives at critical times. For surgical patients, it is inevitable to have doubts or concerns. I hope this article can help them understand the daily life in the operating room, eliminate tension, successfully complete the operation, and better promote their physical and mental health.