personnel are situated within the surgical suite. In some hospitals, these offices are
located convenient to but outside the surgical suite in order to keep traffic within the
suite to a minimum. If there is a postanesthesia (recovery) room, it is also classified as
an interchange area although entry is carefully controlled. The main outer corridors are
in the interchange area. This area also consists of the rooms designed for personnel to
change from street clothes or military uniforms into OR attire ("scrub clothing")
(see figure 1-3 (15), (16), and (17)). If space and arrangement permit, there
are two doors to each dressing room--one for the entry of persons in street clothes and
the other for their exit in scrub clothes. The individual lockers are generally equipped
with nametags, locks, and keys. Caps, masks, and scrub clothing are stored in the
dressing rooms. Dressing rooms may be equipped with showers. A mask need not be
worn in this area.
(2) Semirestricted area. Comprising the semirestricted area are corridors
within the work area, the anesthesia workroom and storage, the utility closet, the
instrument storage room, the workroom, the linen storage room, the clean linen room,
and the soiled linen room (see figure 1-3 (4), (5), (7), (8), (10), (11), (12), (13), and (14)).
The semirestricted area then represents the supply center for the surgical suite.
Although, non-sterile procedures are performed in this area, personnel without
OR attire are not admitted. A mask need not be worn in this area.
(3) Restricted area. The restricted area consists of all rooms in which sterile
procedures are done and sterile goods are opened or exposed. This includes the
individual ORs and the adjacent scrub rooms (see figure 1-3) where soap, nail files,
brushes, timers, and written directions are available for the scrub procedure. Also
included are the preanesthesia rooms (induction rooms) if the suite has this facility. On
the floor plan shown in figure 1-3, a part of the "anesthesia area," (4), may be
designated for the induction of anesthesia. If the suite is arranged to include a
substerilizing room between each two ORs (see figure 1-3 (3)), then these rooms are
considered to be restricted because supplies are autoclaved here without being covered
and are moved, uncovered, into the OR. Each person working in the restricted area is
required to wear scrub clothes, cap, and mask.
(4) Dirty area. The dirty area is the disposal area, where all utilized
materials and linen are gathered, packaged, and sent to appropriate areas.
e. Arrangement of Areas. There is no one rule that must be followed in the
physical arrangement of the four areas previously discussed. However, the
nonrestricted and interchange areas should be located near the entry door. Workroom
areas are situated near the center of the suite, and storage and supply rooms nearby
are positioned to avoid waste in time and energy of personnel. Areas for storage of
both sterile and unsterile supplies must be clearly marked to avoid mistaking one for the
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