Perioperative time capsule

AORN Journal, Dec, 2002

40 YEARS AGO IN OR NURSING

A panel discussion on sterilization of instruments is published in the November/December 1962 issue of OR Nursing. According to one panelist, the hepatitis virus should be killed by using a standard autoclave cycle or dry heat. * "News & Views" reports that veterans administration hospitals treated an increased number of patients in fiscal year 1962 without a corresponding increase in the number of hospital beds. * In an article on nasal plastic surgery, the author says that intangibles, such as emotions and personality, play an important role in this type of surgery. * According to one author, a fear of the unknown is a factor in how students learn in the OR, as evidenced by the questions students ask.

30 YEARS AGO IN THE AORN JOURNAL

One physician discusses his study on how OR temperature affects patients' body temperature. At one, two, and three hours postinduction, patients' body temperature was found to vary directly with OR temperature. * Two psychiatric residents report that of 1,314 physicians surveyed, 25% had smoked marijuana in the past and 7% classified themselves as current users. Usage varied according to age. * AORN acknowledges the need to educate graduate nurses who have no OR experience and, to that end, announces it will present a workshop at Congress on the issue. * According to an article on air flow, surgical team members add 3,000 to 50,000 organisms per person per minute to the environment.

20 YEARS AGO IN THE AORN JOURNAL

According to "OR Nursing Law," nurses who are asked to "float" to other departments in the hospital should notify their supervisors if they are inexperienced in a particular task--scrubbing, for example. * One author says that mitral stenosis and mitral insufficiency are the two most frequent conditions affecting the heart valves. These conditions can lead to severe cardiac and hemodynamic impairment. * One article states that Cesarean delivery is the 10th most common surgical procedure performed in the United States. * Recruiting and retaining employees by offering child care is the focus of one article. Goals include reducing absenteeism and decreasing staff member turnover.

10 YEARS AGO IN THE AORN JOURNAL

Recommended practices on sanitation in the surgical practice setting and selection and use of packaging systems are published in this issue of the Journal. * In "The greening of the OR," an author discusses environmental consciousness. She says that although most OR waste is treated as infectious, the wrappers from various materials (eg, sterile prep trays) need not be considered infectious unless they are contaminated. * Nosocomial surgical wound infections affect 250,000 to 400,000 patients annually, according to one article. * Two new awards--for Outstanding Achievement in Perioperative Nursing Management and Outstanding Achievement in Perioperative Clinical Nursing Practice--are announced.