My WHY
I want to provide more information about what my mission is, why it's important and how we can help protect our patients. I also welcome your suggestions, contacts or just sharing this information, as I'm looking for a new partner for manufacturing and distribution.
This is truly a journey of faith for me, a path I chose not having a real grasp on how something so seemingly simple would become such a monumental task.
When I saw a piece of debris (bone, tissue, glue?) fly up from the field, hit the unsterile lens of the overhead surgical light and fall back smack in the open wound of the Total Knee procedure, I was gobsmacked. I knew the wound was contaminated and the patient had been exposed and placed at risk of developing a Surgical Site Infection.
And so began my Why, my journey from a simple idea that became the Surgical Light Drape.
VALUE AND BENEFIT ANALYSIS FOR SURGICAL LIGHT DRAPES
Surgical Light Drapes are a patented, clear, sterile, disposable, single patient use barrier drape designed to cover and protect the overhead surgical lights in operating rooms, emergency departments and other clinical areas where sterile field and/or equipment protection is needed.
The value and benefit of sterile barrier protection for the overhead surgical lights in surgery:
·???????? Prevents contamination of the sterile field from any fallout from stuck on debris or particulates when repositioning your lights.
·???????? Prevents sterile field contamination when debris from the surgical field strikes the lights and falls back onto the sterile field.
·???????? Prevents contamination of the sterile light handle cover and sterile surgical helmet systems when the top of a scrubbed persons SHS touches the unsterile lens of the light and (unknown to those at the field) then touches the light handle cover which results in sterile field contamination (sterile scrubbed personal grasps the now contaminated light handle cover to reposition the light)
·???????? Prevents the lights from becoming a source of cross contamination.
·???????? Prevents the sterile team from contaminating themselves when repositioning the lights. For instance, with some brands of lights, the light control buttons are at the edge of light handle cover, bordering the edge of the unsterile lens of the light and encroaching on AORN’s recommendation of 12 inches between sterile to unsterile.
·???????? Improves the effectiveness and speed of room turnover.
·???????? Provides quick and effective containment and disposal of potential pathogens.
It has been a standard of practice for decades to utilize sterile protective barrier drapes for equipment used in the operating room that has the potential to contaminate the sterile field, including sterile personnel, or become contaminated from microorganisms, spatter or debris from the surgical procedure. Critical equipment, such as the overhead surgical lights, are an important part of everyday use in the OR. The care and protection for expensive equipment is enhanced by covering with sterile drapes when in use during a surgical procedure. Unfortunately, the surgical lights have not had the benefit of protective sterile barrier drape as have microscopes, C-arms, robotics- ROSA or MAKO- for example, leaving them susceptible to biological contamination. The attached picture shows a contamination event during a total joint replacement with blood spatter directly onto the uncovered, unsterile lens of the OR light. Blood (and other fluids) that strikes the unsterile lens of the lights and falls back onto the patients’ surgical field has now contaminated that field, creating a risk of a surgical site infection. This scenario is easily visible, but additional risk comes from what you can’t see - what can be easily missed with even the most dedicated room turnover team following all the appropriate institutional policy, manufacturers IFUs for surface cleaning, chemical compatibility for specific surfaces, etc. Using sterile surgical light drapes will prevent this type of event both in sterile field contamination for the patient (if it strikes a STERILE surface and falls back, it’s still STERILE) but barrier drape protection will also prevent the light from potentially becoming a reservoir of microorganisms. Because the light drapes are single patient use and disposable, any pathogens that would have been on the surface of the lights are on the drape. The OR cleaning team safely and quickly removes and disposes of the drape. This not only leaves you with a clean surface that is easily wiped down following your institutional policy for room turnover (leaving you with no accidental misses of residual bacteria, etc), but also makes room turnover faster and safer for your staff by the safe containment and disposal of potential pathogens.
Operating Room time is expensive, and an empty OR isn’t generating revenue. The faster and more efficiently an OR can be prepared to receive the next patient, the better the economics. Every minute counts, but not at the expense of staff or patient safety.
Surgical Light Drapes are a unique product. The concept of sterile barrier drape protection is certainly not new, but the use of drapes for the surgical lights has been a long overdue and a missed opportunity to improve patient safety. Any opportunity to enhance and expand the patients’ sterile field can have a direct impact on reducing adverse outcomes. Mitigating the risk of SSIs and patient-to-patient cross contamination from residual debris remaining on the lens of the surgical light after wipe-down is now a realistic and achievable goal.
The innovative nature of the light drape, the extensive efforts put forth in development to make it simple but impactful, along with no competitive product in the market
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place, have kept the cost for surgical light drapes affordable.
The descriptive literature of sterile field contamination risks from unsterile surgical lights as well as the empirical observation by OR surgeons and staff absolutely support the protective and needed advantages of surgical light drapes.
The following literature, descriptive of the threat to sterile field sterility from the overhead surgical lights, is very concerning. The threat from aerosolization and spatter from various procedures that give rise to particulates, debris or liquids that either strike the lens of the lights and fall back or become adhered to the uncovered surface, the contamination from sterile SHS that brushes against the undraped lens and then against the light handle cover, and accidental missed debris during OR turnover/wipe down, is inevitable. Light drapes are the common-sense solution to help prevent unnecessary risks to our surgical patients while also protecting our equipment. It’s a no brainer.
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???? EVERY? TIME.
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?????????????????? https://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/Abstract/1996/08010/Contamination_Risks_From_a_High_Speed_Bone_Burr.14.aspx
Intra-Operative Surgical Light Movement is a Potential Source of Sterile Field Contamination Jose A. Romero, MD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Online access to "Sources of contamination in the operating room: A fluorescent particle powder study" - Michael H. Huo, David Minor, Jose A. Romero, Holt S. Cutler - American Journal of Infection Control: Volume 48, Issue 8, 859-974https://www.ajicjournal.org/artic
Operating Room Sterility: Is Falling Particulate Debris from Overhead Lights a Source of Contamination of the Operative Field???? Harvard Orthopedic Residency Program