Surgical scrubbing

it covers steps of surgical scrubbing and its uses.

1. Surgical Scrubbing Dr. Ekta Verma Dr. Bhoomika Singh

2. Introduction Surgical scrub is a process of removing or decreasing bacterial count and resident skin flora from hands and the forearms to a safe level of surgical acceptance by mechanical scrub with the help of scrub brush and a chemical antiseptic soap.

3. Objectives To remove soil and transient microbes from the hands and forearms. To reduce the resident microbial count to as low a level as possible. To inhibit rapid rebound growth of microbes.

4. P reparations All jewellery should be removed from the hands and forearms. Fingernails should be free of polish and trimmed short. Hands and forearms should be free of open lesions and breaks in skin integrity. O pen your gown and gloves before you scrub,so as not to contaminate your hands.

5. Scrub Procedures Two scrub procedures are commonly used: T imed anatomic scrub All surfaces of the hand and arm are scrubbed for a specified length of time. Counted strokes method Each part of the hand and arm receives a specific number of scrub strokes. Duration of scrub- 5 minutes

6. Pre-scrub Wash Run the tap and test temperature of water. Open the package containing nail brush, scrub sponge and nail pick . Wet your hands and arms for an initial pre scrub wash. Use several drops of scrub solution and work up a heavy lather, then wash the hands and arms to the elbows.

7. Rinse the hands and arms thoroughly, allowing the water to run from hands to elbows. Clean under the nails with a nail pick . Moisten the nail brush with antimicrobial solution onto sponge side. Lather the fingertips with sponge- side of brush, washing all four sides of the fingers .

8. LET’S START SCRUBBING

9. Wet the hands and forearms. Apply antimicrobial solution. Keep hands above elbows at all times .

10. Rinse and repeat these steps keeping hands raised above elbows at all times. The second wash should only cover two-thirds of the forearms to avoid compromising cleanliness of hands. Third time, repeat the steps to wrists only. Rinse the hands under running water, allowing the water to run from fingertips to elbows .

11. Characteristics of a Surgical Scrub Anti-microbial action : An ideal agent must have a broad spectrum of anti-microbial activity. Persistent activity : An agent offering persistent activity keeps the bacterial count low under the gloves. Safety : The ideal agent must be non-irritating and non-sensitizing. It must not be damaging to the skin and environment.

12. THANK YOU