Marissa Blanca, a 48-year-old woman with degenerative rheumatoid arthritis, is having a two-joint metacarpophalangeal implant of her left hand. The pneumatic tourniquet is applied to Marissa's upper left arm and has been inflated to 280 mm Hg for 38 minutes. The surgery is advancing as planned and the surgeon is preparing to insert the second implant. Celeste, the circulator, has set the time threshold for 60 minutes. During her preoperative assessment with Marissa, she noted no contraindications to pneumatic tourniquet use. While the surgery is going well and Celeste is confident that the second implant will be inserted and the wound closed before the tourniquet alarms, what risk reduction strategy would be appropriate for Celeste to employ?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

OR personnel should be aware of the risk of exceeding the time limits and should inform the surgeon at regular intervals of the tourniquet inflation time. All OR personnel responsible for the tourniquet should be familiar with current standards, maximum times for inflation for extremities, and contraindications for tourniquet use.

Marissa Blanca, a 48-Year-Old Woman with Degenerative Rheumatoid Arthritis, Is