from polish, and the cuticles are trimmed. Then, surgical product, a nail cleaner, and a sterile hand brush or sponge. These materials are available in the scrub area. Before scrubbing, remove all rings, watches, or other jewelry from your hands and arms. Ensure that your fingernails are short, smooth, free complete the following procedures:
1. Wet your hands and arms with water. Put a small amount of antimicrobial surgical product in the palm of your hand and spread the solution over your hands and arms. Work the solution into a good lather.
2. Clean your nails and cuticles with a nail cleaner under running water. When you are through, discard the nail cleaner.
3. Rinse your hands and arms under running water.
4. Wet the brush or sponge and place a small amount of the antimicrobial solution on the bristles. Scrub each hand and arm in the following manner:
Place your fingers together and scrub across the tips for 30 strokes.
Starting with your thumb, scrub each finger on all surfaces. Use 20 strokes for each finger, and make sure that the webbed areas between the fingers are scrubbed.
After you have scrubbed each finger, scrub your palm. Use a circular motion and scrub for 20 strokes. Scrub from your wrist to 2 inches above your elbow. Brush in one direction only (away from the wrist) and scrub for 20 strokes.
WITHOUT RINSING, wash your other hand and arm in the same manner. Then discard the hand brush or sponge.
5. Rinse both hands and arms. Hold your hands higher than your elbows and allow the water to flow from your fingertips to your elbows. NEVER move your hands back and forth through the water. Allow the water to drip from your elbows for a few seconds before leaving the scrub area. When leaving the scrub area, hold your hands close together and away from your body. DO NOT touch anything.
6. While the scrub assistant and the dentist scrub, the circulating assistant will open the surgical drape pack, being careful to touch only the outside edges of the pack. When the scrub assistant enters the operating room, use a sterile towel from the pack to dry the hands and arms, being careful not to drip on the sterile field.
7. On one half of the towel, use a blotting action to dry one hand and arm, from the fingers to above the elbow. Dry your other hand and arm in the same manner with the other half of the towel. NOTE: When drying, bend at the wrist and hold your hands and arms away from your body. This will keep the sterile towel from coming in contact with your unsterile scrub suit.
8. When this procedure is complete, pass the towel to the circulating assistant. NOTE: The above scrubbing routine is normally performed for the first case in the morning and again after lunch. Otherwise, an abbreviated scrub procedure, consisting of a 2-minute washing pro- cedure of your hands and arms with antimicrobial surgical product should be performed.
After the scrubbing procedure is completed, the surgical team will don sterile surgical gloves. Gloving procedures are the same for the dentist and the scrub assistant.
The circulating assistant will open the packages of disposable sterile gloves, touching only the outside edges of the packages. The procedures for putting on the gloves are as follows:
1. Without touching the gloves, fold back the tissue paper covering. The cuff of each glove is folded so that the inside of the cuff is partially exposed. NOTE: Touch only the inside portion of the glove with your bare hand.
2. Grasp the first glove at the cuff fold (fig. 5-51). Gently pull the glove onto your free hand and anchor the cuff over your thumb (fig. 5-52).
3. Slip the fingers of your gloved hand under the folded cuff of the second glove. Keeping your fingers under the folded cuff, begin to work the second glove onto your bare hand (fig. 5-53). Do this gently so that the cuff remains folded. Work the glove up, and over your hand and wrist, and onto your arm (fig. 5-54). As you do this, gradually unfold the cuff so that its inner side is now against your skin. Remember that you cannot touch this exposed inner side with your gloved hand. Finally, grasp the outside of theContinue Reading