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Chapter 14 Surgical Room Skills 277

FIGURE 14.43 Suture material and scalpel blades.

names on the suture material: Vicryl™ is the brand name
for polyglactin suture and the One‐Dox™ is the brand
name of polydioxanone suture material. The veteri-
narian will often ask for them as Vicryl or “Dox” even if
the inventory manager ordered the generic suture. So,
it’s a good idea to ask and then remember which is
which! Note too that the size is written in big letters as
2‐O or 3‐O, the O is pronounced “ought” and the larger
the number the smaller in diameter the suture. Note
also that each box shows the size and type of suture
needle. Most of the time this isn’t an issue but every FIGURE 14.44 Gas anesthesia machine.
once in a while the surgeon will ask if there are any
taper point or cutting‐edge needles. In this case there
are no taper point suture needles. The box of scalpel
blades will indicate the type of blade on the end of the
box. Each one of these items is individually packed and
are opened on an as needed basis.
During the surgery or the peri‐surgical phase, the
patient is monitored not only with the multifunctional
monitor, but also with manual heart rate and respiratory
checks. The heart rate can be taken by slipping a stetho-
scope under the drapes, taking care not to touch the top
of the drape material. The respirations can be taken by
watching the non‐rebreathing bag or rebreathing bag
move in and out (Figure 14.44).
You may also be asked to adjust the flowmeters and
the vaporizer during surgery. Find those parts on
Figure 14.44. The flowmeter is adjusted if the patient is
not getting the right amount of oxygen and the vapor-
izer is adjust if the patient is not getting the right amount
of gas anesthetic.
Another action that may be under taken by the FIGURE 14.45 Tissue adhesive.
assistant is the application of a drop of surgical glue
(Figure 14.45)! This adhesive is specifically engineered
to adhere to skin and not cause a reaction. Open the side of him/her, but don’t touch him/her or the draped
bottle and place a new tip on the top of the container. patient with any part of your body! Carefully move the
Many come with multiple tips so the bottle can be used tip of the glue close to but not touching the tissue and
for multiple patients. The surgeon will be holding the give a gentle squeeze to dispense a single drop. Then
tissues he/she wants the glue applied to. Come along step away from the sterile zone.