Pain Room
This numbing agent is typically used alongside steroids in spinal injections to provide immediate but temporary pain relief.
What is lidocaine or bupivacaine?
To ensure sufficient processing time, vendors are asked to deliver surgical trays this amount of time before a scheduled procedure.
What is 24 hours?
This simple yet critical practice is considered the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infections in healthcare settings.
What is hand hygiene?
In this position, the patient lies flat on their back with their face upward.
What is the supine position?
Inflammation of this nerve, which runs from the lower back down the leg, is a common reason for lumbar epidural sterioid injections.
What is the sciatic nerve?
This document provides step-by-step instructions for SPD staff on how to properly clean, inspect, and sterilize a specific surgical instrument.
What are instructions for use?
This critical pause, performed after surgical draping and before the first incision, requires all activity to stop so the surgical team can confirm the patient’s identity, procedure, and site to ensure safety.
What is a surgical time-out?
In this position, the patient lies on their side with one arm placed above the head and the other alongside the body.
What is the lateral position?
To reduce the risk of bleeding during an epidural steroid injection, patients are typically advised to stop taking these medications several days beforehand.
What are blood thinners or anticoagulants?
This step, performed immediately after a procedure at the location where instruments were used, helps prevent debris from drying and makes thorough cleaning easier later in the decontamination area.
What is point of use cleaning?
This critical process is performed before, during, and after surgery to ensure that no items are left inside the patient.
What is a surgical count?
Used for spinal surgeries, this position places the patient face-down with padding to protect pressure points.
What is the prone position?
This rare but temporary condition may occur after a cervical epidural steroid injection when the recurrent laryngeal nerve is affected, leading to difficulty speaking and swallowing.
What is transient vocal cord or pharyngeal nerve paralysis?
To prevent staining, corrosion, and recontamination, this type of water must be used for the final rinse of surgical instruments during decontamination.
What is critical water? (DI water / RO water)
Because an infection in this type of procedure can lead to serious complications extra infection prevention protocols are strictly followed.
What is a joint replacement?
These items are often used during patient positioning to maintain normothermia, enhance comfort, and reduce the risk of hypothermia-related complications during surgery.
What are heated blankets?
This condition, often resulting from an unintended dural puncture during a lumbar epidural steroid injection, causes a severe headache that worsens when upright and improves when lying down due to cerebrospinal fluid leakage.
What is a post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) or spinal headache?
This test, typically involving bacterial spores, must be interpreted before releasing recently sterilized implantable devices to ensure the sterilization process was effective.
What is a biological indicator test?
This rare but serious complication can occur within minutes of administering a nerve block or infiltration, leading to seizures, arrhythmias, or cardiac arrest.
What is local anesthetic toxicity?
This specialized operating table allows for precise prone positioning during spinal surgery, minimizing abdominal compression and enabling 180-degree patient rotation to reduce blood loss and improve surgical access.
What is the Jackson table?