The Journal in Iraq

SEPTEMBER 2004, VOL 80, NO 3

Letters to the Editor

LETTERS

TO

THE

EDITOR

Readers comment on Iraq, patient positioning, sterilizing ing. The true safety issue here is doing a surgical procedure without the necesam a noncommissioned air national sary equipment, the use of which would guardsman serving in Iraq in a com- not have required repositioning, padbat role. At home, in the civilian ding, and manipulation. The article also states, ”The anestheworld, I am an OR nurse. I left the OR on Oct 31, 2003, and I am unable to sia care provider lubricated and closed maintain proficiency in the circulator or Ms J’s eyes and secured eye pads on scrub role. With the AORN Journal, top for protection” and ”Her head was however, I have a tangible, thought- placed face down on a foam prone pilprovoking resource that keeps me low to protect pressure points . . . ” We currently use the prone view pillow in involved in the OR setting. our facility. This is a prone pillow with It is rumored that a forward surgical team will locate to our base in a month. I a large cut-out area for the eyes and chin, as well as a mirror so that the will welcome them with a gift of past issues of the AORN [ournal. Such profes- anesthesia care providers can view the sional reading material is always a pleas- patient’s eyes at all times. Just using the prone pillow increases the potential for ant distraction. I am certain that they patient blindness, which has happened will allow me to volunteer four to five in our community. hours per week for such a donation. In addition, the article mentions Thank you for the articles, the resource, extreme padding using egg crate padand the education. ding. Egg crate padding must be three JARVIS BROWN inches thick to be of any benefit. Our hosRN, CNOR, LT COL pital eliminated egg crate padding years AIR LIAISON OFFICER ago. After reading this article, I question UNITEDSTATESAIR FORCE its applicability to patient safety.

THEJOURNAL IN

IRAQ

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IRAQ

PATE INT POSITIONING

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would like to make the following points about the AORN Journal ”Clinical Exemplar” article “Protect your patient-it is never too late to reposition” (vol 79, May 2004). The article states, “At least six people are needed to safely transfer a patient from the stretcher to the spinal surgery and imaging table.” Standards within the industry for this type of surgery require use of an OSI Jackson table. On this table, you rotate the patient from supine to prone. This virtually eliminates any possibility of injury to the patient and the OR team members. This OR appears to not have had the proper equipment for position-

The AORN Journal welcomes letters for its “Letten“ column. Letters must refer to Journal articles or columns published within the preceding six months. All letters are subject to editing befire publication. Authors of artiiles or columns referenced in the letter to the editor may be given the opportunity to respond. Letters that ore included CONNIE L. HAMMOND in the ”LetRN, BSN, CNOR ten“ column must contoin INSERVICE EDUCATION COORDINATOR the reader‘s JAMES A. HALEYVETERANSHOSPITAL TAMPA,FLA name, credentials if applicable (eg, RN, Author’s response. I appreciate the BSN, CNOR), comments you have provided regardposition or ing my published article. First, I want title, emto clarify that the procedure was done ployer, and six years ago and that the surgeons employefs were adamant about positioning the way we did at that time. In addition, address.

the OSI table was used for this procedure. I will forward your comments to the surgeons who use the OSI table, but I also found out recently that our OSI table is out of order and a replacement is obsolete. AORN JOURNAL

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