First Case Podcast

How do we approach sterility and proper technique in ways that prioritize patient safety and best practices? And why does it matter?

In today's episode, Chris and Melanie are diving into the nitty-gritty details of sterile technique — because in the Operating Room, there's no room for "good enough." Tune in to find out why as we discuss guidelines, best practices, and the common mistakes that have become acceptable by many perioperative professionals. We'll also discuss the critical do's and don'ts of sterile field management, and reveal some of the tips and tricks we've picked up along the way. Tune in now!

#operatingroom #ornurse #perioperative #surgicaltechnologist #scrubtech #scrub #bestpractice

Is charting really that important? Joining us today to discuss the vital role that documentation plays in the operating room is Anna Gray, RNFA and Legal Nurse Consultant. From understanding what to document to exploring the connection between nurses' notes and surgeons' operative reports, Anna shares her expertise on why every detail matters.

Tune in to hear compelling courtroom examples where documentation made or broke the case, and discover the broader purpose of documentation that goes beyond legal protection. Proper documentation isn't just a task—it's a tool for patient safety, supply chain efficiency, and telling the patient's story. Join us for an insightful discussion about why accurate charting is essential for both patient care and professional practice.

#operatingroom #ornurse #surgery #perioperative #scrubtech

Welcome to Season 14 of First Case! This season, we're tackling the question: "But, why?" Why do we do the things we do in the OR? From practices we swear by to those that might need to be retired, nothing is off-limits as we explore the reasoning—or lack thereof—behind our routines.

In this season premier, Chris and Melanie dive into some of the most common OR habits, rules, and sacred cows, and unpack the "why" behind them. Chris shines a light on the frustrations caused by poor communication, touching on pref cards, supply handling, and the importance of sharing critical information to the entire team Meanwhile, Melanie challenges the long-standing bouffant and scrub cap debate, breaking down its origins, the changes over time, and whether this rule still holds up to current evidence.

Get ready for an engaging, thought-provoking episode that sets the tone for a season full of questioning, learning, and maybe even a little myth-busting. Tune in and let's uncover the "why" together!

#operatingroom #ornurse #surgery #perioperative #scrubtech #surgicaltechnologist

While we wait for Season 14, we're bringing you an audio version of our Perioperative Nurses Week video interview series. Catch up on any interview you missed and travel around the world with us!

How would you like to get a post-graduate degree in Perioperative nursing? In Spain, you can! Today we're traveling to Spain to learn more about perioperative nursing and nursing education from Esther Espunes Mestres. Esther has a great story to share with us, so tune in and learn what it's like to train and be an OR nurse in Spain!

#operatingroom #ornurse #perioperativenursesweek #nurse #perioperative #perioperative

While we wait for Season 14, we're bringing you an audio version of our Perioperative Nurses Week video interview series. Catch up on any interview you missed and travel around the world with us!

Today we're traveling from S. Africa to California as we learn about perioperative nursing and nursing education from Andrew Veitch. Andrew has a great story to share with us, so tune in and learn what it's like to be a nurse in S. Africa! Andrew will also tell us about the differences he's observed in perioperative nursing after having worked in both S. Africa and the US.

#operatingroom #ornurse #perioperativenursesweek #nurse #perioperative #perioperativenurse

𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 13 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 14! 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵, 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘕𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴!

In this 4-week series we are travelling across the globe to hear from perioperative nurses worldwide. This week, we're traveling to New Zealand to learn more about perioperative nursing from Cassie Scott! Tune in to learn more about nursing education and training in Australia, and to hear about Cassie's current experiences in New Zealand. We'll also talk about her time as a travel nurse and her experiences working in Ireland and England.

Don't miss this exciting interview and stayed tuned the rest of this month for more!

#operatingroom #perioperativenurse #perioperativenurses #ornurse #nurse #surgery

Season 13 has come to an end, and we're anxiously awaiting the launch of Season 14! While we wait, we're bringing you a series of interviews that we did to celebrate Perioperative Nurses Week.

In this 4-week series, we travelled across the globe to hear from perioperative nurses worldwide. In this first episode, we're speaking with Helen Evans and traveling across the pond to England! We'll learn what nursing education was like for Helen, how much exposure she was given to the OR, and what it was like to work in an operating room in England. We'll also learn about some differences that she observed between England and the United States after she immigrated to the US and began working in the USA.

Don't miss this exciting interview and stayed tuned the rest of this month for more!

#operatingroom #perioperativenurse #perioperativenurses #ornurse #nurse #surgery

Are you ready to dive into the details that make a difference? Join us for an exciting First Case Vendor Spotlight™ with Jenna Lindsay, Clinical Application Specialist, and Vinod Menon, Product Development Specialist, at Solventum (formerly 3M Health Care). We're unpacking everything you need to know about surgical skin prep and its crucial role in helping prevent surgical site infections (SSIs).

Tune in to understand the clinical guidelines for patient skin antisepsis and learn how 3M™ SoluPrep™ S Sterile Antiseptic Solution chlorhexidine gluconate (2% w/v) and isopropyl alcohol (70% v/v) Patient Preoperative Skin Preparation stands out. From providing rapid, broad-spectrum antimicrobial protection1†, helping to enhance incise drape adhesion*, and visibility on a variety of skin tones3, this skin prep is a breakthrough solution. Plus, it provides a larger coverage area than the leading CHG and alcohol-based skin prep (26 mL applicator)3¶.

At Solventum, fomerly 3M Health Care, we create breakthrough solutions for our customers' toughest challenges by pioneering game-changing innovations at the intersection of health, material, and data science to change patients' lives for the better — while enabling healthcare professionals to perform at their best. For more information about SoluPrep S Sterile Antiseptic Solution or to connect with a Solventum Representative visit SoluPrep S at go.solventum.com/SoluprepSFirstCase

You can also follow Solventum on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

#operatingroom #skinprep #surgicalskinprep #skinantisepsis #surgery #perioperative #ornurse #scrubtech #surgeon

† Study was performed on healthy volunteers under simulated surgical conditions.

* Compared to skin prepped with ChloraPrep® with 3M™ Ioban™ 2 Antimicrobial Incise Drapes in a simulated knee surgery model, 2019.

¶Compared to ChloraPrep®, 2021.

1. The clinical significance of in vitro data is unknown.

2. Olson L, Morse D, Paulson J, Bernatchez S. Evaluation of Incise Drape Lift Using 2% Gluconate/ 70% Isopropyl Alcohol Preoperative Skin Preparations in a Human Volunteer Knee Model. 2022;15:24-28.

3. Solventum internal data on file.

Season 13 has come to an end, but we're not done bringing you exciting content! In this panel discussion hosted by Melanie Perry, we'll hear 3 different perspectives from Charge Nurses in three very different types of facilities. Our panel of experts includes: 📌Lisa Bailey: Ambulatory Surgery Center, Texas 📌Carlos Dillard: Critical Access Hospital, Rural Alabama 📌Andrew Withrow: Academic Medical Center, Tennessee We're talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly side of being the charge nurse along with the responsibilities and expectations of the role. We'll also discuss what training normally looks like, what it should look like, and highlight the many resources available within the department to help when things get rough. Tune in to learn what the OR Charge Nurse role is all about!

#operatingroom #ornurse #chargenurse #nurse

What Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) should we be assessing and evaluating as we determine the success of our centralization efforts? Find out in this final episode of the Expert Series On-The-Go with Bryan Stuart!

💡In this weekly series we're learning from industry expert 𝗕𝗿𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝗖𝗖𝗦𝗩𝗣, 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗽. Bryan has over 30 years of experience in the medical field and 13 years of operational experience in an FDA-regulated environment as a third party processor of surgical linens and instrumentation. From this, Bryan has developed keen insights into commercially managed reprocessing facilities. For the last 8 years, Bryan has provided consulting services to hospitals to improve processes and instrument tray streamlining. His solutions are driven by hands-on set reviews and data-driven solutions bringing the clinical and processing teams together for a mutually beneficial rationalization of instrument trays and process improvements.

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💡𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝗻-𝘁𝗵𝗲-𝗚𝗼 presents perioperative insights from industry experts in a creative, easy to listen to, audio format. Think audio book meets busy Operating Room professional!

#FirstCase #Podcast #OperatingRoom #Surgery #ORExpert #perioperative #instrumentcentralization #sterileprocessing