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newsletter spring 2003 |
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15 Seconds of Fame—Kicking the Canister
 On
the television series ER, you get a glimpse into operating
rooms: the highly trained staff of doctors and nurses; the
life saving technologies. Among the monitors and machines
you’ll find an aspirator—a mere extra on the set,
but vital in the modern operating room. The aspirator sucks
away body fluids and saline solution, allowing for a “clean”
surgery.
HealthEast Midway
Outpatient Center in St. Paul used three to five suction canisters
per surgery case for containing fluids aspirated, or suctioned,
during procedures. After each procedure, the contents of the
canisters were dumped down the sewer as infectious waste and
the canisters were thrown away.
“Typically
we do five or six cases per week, sometimes more,” said
Michelle Draxton, operating room supervisor. “That adds
up to a lot of canisters over time.”
Working with an
equipment supplier the facility installed a canister-free
vacuum system as a trial. “When the trial period was
over we didn’t want to give it up, so we bought it,”
said Draxton.
Employee safety
was a big benefit. Staff no longer need to dump the canisters,
which were heavy and posed a splashing danger. The new vacuum
system is hard plumbed into the operating room, eliminating
the use of canisters.
According to Draxton,
the canister-free vacuum system has cut the amount of solid
waste at the facility. “If you use the [Steris] SafeCycle
on every case you don’t have to use the old disposable
canisters. Over time there will definitely be a savings.”
While working on
her project with HealthEast, MnTAP
intern Stephanie Maling saw
the SafeCycle in use at Midway and introduced the new technology
to Catherine Zimmer,
MnTAP health care specialist.
“These innovative
canister-free and reusable canister vacuum systems provide
a great opportunity for preventing pollution and improving
occupational safety at health care facilities,” said
Catherine.
For information
about canister-free systems and reusable canisters, see MnTAP’s
fact sheet Suction Canister
Waste Reduction [#91], available online. Or, call Catherine
at MnTAP for more information, 612.624.4635.
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