the furniture for the sterile setup so that the scrub can work within the sterile field and
the circulator can work outside the field.
d.
Check with the scrub for any special equipment he may need for the case.
e. If the instruments were not wrapped and sterilized on the preceding shift,
ensure that instrument sets are placed in the autoclave.
f. Check that all equipment needed to position the patient is in the room. If
not, get the necessary equipment.
g. Discuss with the scrub the sterile supplies needed for the case (be sure to
discuss the kind and amount of sutures needed) and then bring the supplies into the
room. The surgeon's preference card will list the types and sizes of sutures needed for
the procedure.
h. Place sterile goods on the tables or stands where they will be used to avoid
having to move them from one place to another. You should place the various sterile
items as indicated in (1) through (6) below.
(1) The linen or drape pack on the large instrument table (backtable).
(2) The gown pack on the prep table.
(3) The Mayo tray on the Mayo stand.
(4) The sterile basin set into the ring stand.
(5) The prep set placed on the prep table. Only after the scrub dons the
gown and the wrapper is removed,
(6) The instrument set on a ring stand or table.
i. Put sterile packages that the scrub will not need immediately (such as
suction tubing and culture tubes) on the utility table and open them after the scrub has
prepared a space for them. You may also place on the utility tables supplies needed
from the sterile supply cabinets such as knife blades, needles, etc.
j. Do not place sterile supplies on the operating table nor on the anesthetist's
equipment (the anesthesia apparatus and the anesthetist's table) because these areas
are for the use by the anesthetist only.
k. Open the sterile supplies. Before any sterile supplies are opened, however,
the integrity of every package is checked for tears, punctures, watermarks, expiration
date, and the sterilization indicator. Tears, punctures, and watermarks on a sterile pack
indicate that the supplies are unsafe to use. The sterilization indicator shows whether
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