The operating room and the patient / by Russell S. Fowler.

  • Fowler, Russell S. (Russell Story), 1874-1959.
Date:
1906
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The operating room and the patient / by Russell S. Fowler. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.

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    delivers such messages as are reported to her to the per- son for whom such message is intended. She keeps the key to the operating room, instrument room, and anesthetic room. These rooms are kept locked when not in use. The operating room nurse also sees that all specimens are sent to the pathologic laboratory, prop- erly labeled with the name of the patient and the hospital number. She also sees that all stains are removed from the gowns, sheets, etc., before these are sent to the laundry. Senior Operating Room Nurse.—The senior operat- ing room nurse should have four weeks' experience as junior operating room nurse before becoming senior. Under the direction of the operating room nurse she has charge of all the sterilizing and preparation of material, except the ligature and suture material. Assisted by her junior, she prepares all the supplies used in the operating room and also those sent to the wards. On operating days she lays out the requisite number of towels, protectors, caps, masks, rubber aprons, gowns, etc. (everything except the suture and ligature material), necessary for the operations to be performed that day. During the operation, her post is at the sponge table, and she shall not leave her post except at the request of the operating room nurse. She places bichlorid towels or protectors around the edges of the hand basins. She hands the operator and his assistants their gowns. She passes all sponges, towels, and protectors, anticipating the needs of the operator as much as possible, and is responsible for the correct counting of all sponges. After operations she cleans all instruments and returns them to their places. She also washes out blood-stained gauze, gowns, etc. She sees that the surgeon's dressing room is provided with sterilized gowns for visitors and that the surgeon's operating clothes are properly pre- pared. At operations in which but one sterile nurse is required the sponge table is taken care of by the operating