Why are drapes used in surgery

The following six principles should be considered when using Steri-Drapes during surgical or medical procedures:. Isolation — Make sure contaminated areas are clearly separated from clean, sterilized areas.

Never unfold the Steri-Drapes until it is inside the sterilized area, and it should be held above waist-level at all times. In addition, used Steri-Drapes should be properly contained at the conclusion of each medical or surgical procedure before disposal.

Barrier — Ensure there is no fluid penetration. It goes without saying that Steri-Drapes should be free of tears, holes, and punctures of any size or type. Preventing strike-through contamination dramatically limits the chances for surgical site infection.

Sterile Field — Guarantee a sterile operating environment by only introducing sterile materials. Sterile drapes and other materials must be used inside the sterile field. Once a Steri-Drape is in position, it shouldn't be moved. Your team should inspect all drapes for integrity and handle them as little as possible — no shaking, flipping or fanning. The lower portion of the Steri-Drape that falls below the sterile area should never be lifted back into the sterile field. Sterile Surface — Create and maintain a sterile skin surface to create an effective barrier blocking skin flora from the incision site.

As a supporting measure, you'll also want to provide your team with appropriate skin antiseptics. If the sterility of a Steri-Drape is ever called into question, consider it contaminated and dispose of it immediately.

Fluid Control — Channel and collect all irrigation and body fluids. You'll want to carefully consider your anticipated amount of irrigation fluid during procedures, expected blood loss, procedure duration, and your surgical team's preference when choosing the right surgical drapes for a particular procedure.

Equipment Draping — Appropriately block any non-sterile equipment, such as surgical instrument stands , brought into the sterile surgical area. When doing so, your team should never shake a Steri-Drape — shaking may cause it to inadvertently come into contact with an unsterile surface. Typically, a Steri-Drape should be cuffed over a team member's gloved hand while putting in place, and draping should advance from the operative side to the periphery.

Additional draping material may be needed for procedures on the extremities. Your scrubbed team member should walk around the operating room surface to drape the opposite side in order to keep from leaning into the sterile field and risking contamination. As a general rule, any incorrectly placed Steri-Drape should be removed and disposed of immediately. A Steri-Drape should also be disposed of if it falls below the waist of a scrubbed team member, as this would be considered contamination.

Of course, also keep in mind that everyone on your surgical team should participate in both developing and implementing draping policies and procedures that make the best sense for your healthcare facility. You'll want to make sure that each member of your surgical team is thoroughly trained and comfortable with your draping procedures and protocols.

In addition, having your surgical team involved in testing and evaluating various samples of surgical drapes can help ensure that you stock your healthcare facility with the draping options that are the most appropriate for your surgical team. Effective containment of pathogens during a clinical procedure is a must within today's healthcare environment. Safety, cost, infection prevention, environmental issues, and barrier effectiveness are all hot topics that help drive your surgical and medical procedure purchasing decisions.

With continued knowledge of the dangers of blood borne pathogens, plus OSHA-enforced surgical site infection SSI guidelines and regulations, responsible and effective health care practices require antimicrobial draping that prevents cross-contamination as effectively as possible. Steri-Drapes are one of your best choices for providing reliable and consistent quality, positive outcomes and outstanding barrier efficacy for both your healthcare staff and your patients.

After all, safety issues related to the protection of your surgical team and your patients are paramount, and you need to keep your SSI rate as low as possible.

Steri-Drapes are manufactured by 3M Health Care. If you're still researching your options and would like some help, the team at USA Medical and Surgical Supplies has decades of experience researching and recommending medical supplies and equipment.

Please contact us if you have any questions about the right equipment or supplies for your healthcare facility. We can offer guidance on everything from antiseptic skin cleansers , vital signs monitors , to surgical lights.

Our goal is to provide top quality medical supplies and equipment at low prices. We leverage technology and streamline our operations to provide the best value for our customers. Call us today at or e-mail sales usamedicalsurgical.

All prices are in All prices are in USD. Compare Now. Please wait Call Us : Toggle Top Menu. Main Navigation. Low-Linting Fabric Material 6. No Fluid Strikethrough — Even Under Pressure Surgical site infections introduced during surgical and medical procedures bring with them tremendous human and financial costs, occurring in up to 5 percent of patients during a procedure.

Absorbent Fabric That Can Soak up Spatters and Spills During a surgical procedure, if the barrier material becomes saturated, your risk of transmitting pathogens rises dramatically. Appropriate Size and Shape to Fit Any Medical or Surgical Procedure No matter your team's needs or specialties, Steri-Drape has a multitude of sizing options to protect your patients and your team.

Low-Linting Fabric Material Steri-Drapes use a special fabric material which is lightweight, lint-free, soft and non-irritating. The potential benefits of reusable drapes include cost and waste reduction, yet these advantages should be compared with the decrease in efficacy at preventing bacterial strikethrough after repeated laundering. Some studies have shown that disposable materials provide superior protection from bacterial strikethrough 7.

Still, no national official recommendations exist that suggest the use of either disposable or reusable draping materials, as only limited studies on this topic are available. The WHO global guidelines on the prevention of SSIs suggest that either disposable non-woven or reusable woven drapes can be used during surgical operations 8. However, a prospective randomised study Showalter BM et al.

During the study, patients were randomised and allocated either to a group for which reusable drapes were used, or to a group that had disposable drapes during surgery. This was the first study that found a significant benefit in using disposable drapes compared to reusable ones. In the group with reusable drapes, there were five infections in the 30 days following surgery compared to zero in the group with disposable drapes.

These findings support the hypothesis that bacterial strikethrough during surgery is more likely with reusable materials. To find further evidence for clear benefits of disposable versus reusable drapes, more prospective large-scale studies with higher number of patients are needed. In addition, functional requirements, economic aspects and environmental impact need to be taken into account when selecting appropriate drapes for surgery.

Number of reported SSI cases. Trends of percentage of SSIs by year and surgical procedure type. Surgical scrubs can aid in containing the spread of microorganisms found on the skin and on clothing worn Not only medical products play a decisive role in safe and hygienically secure operations.

It is also essential Every medical procedure is accompanied by a risk of infection. Preventive measures in particular are key to avoiding Preventing Infection , Processes: Optimisation and Solutions Disposable draping materials: Reducing the contamination of surgical wounds share tweet mail. New recommendation on storage duration for sterile medical devices Not only medical products play a decisive role in safe and hygienically secure operations.

Surgical Site Infections — The history of prevention Every medical procedure is accompanied by a risk of infection.