Clinical Foundations
Webinar Series
Protecting the Ventilated Patient from
Hospital-Acquired Infections
David Vines, MHS, RRT, FAARC
Our Mission
As our aging population grows, so does the prevalence of respiratory-related ailments. To meet this medical need, a variety of new respiratory diagnostic and treatment options are being developed. With the availability of these new options, respiratory care professionals will require the most up-to-date, scientifically- and clinically-based information to help them make informed decisions on what is best for their patients.
Clinical Foundations provides practical, clinically- and evidenced-based articles, case studies and symposia for respiratory therapists and respiratory care directors, managers, and supervisors. Clinical Foundations is based on a patient-focused model of care that emphasizes the need to provide the care and services that focus on patients’ individual needs and preferences.
As part of our commitment to helping respiratory care professionals improve their skills, each edition of Clinical Foundations is fully accredited by the AARC for CRCEs.
Advisory Board
Richard Branson, MS, RRT, FAARC
Professor of Surgery
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Cincinnati, OH
Kathleen Deakins, MS, RRT, NPS
Supervisor, Pediatric Respiratory Care
Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital of University Hospitals
Cleveland, OH
William Galvin, MSEd, RRT, CPFT, AE-C, FAARC
Program Director, Respiratory Care Program
Gwynedd Mercy College,
Gwynedd Valley, PA.
Carl Haas, MS, RRT, FAARC
Educational & Research Coordinator
University Hospitals and Health Centers
Ann Arbor, MI
Richard Kallet, MSc, RRT, FAARC
Clinical Projects Manager
University of California Cardiovascular Research Institute San Francisco, CA
Neil MacIntyre, MD, FAARC
Medical Director of Respiratory Services
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, NC
Tim Myers, BS, RRT-NPS
Pediatric Respiratory Care
Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital
Cleveland, OH
Tim Op’t Holt, EdD, RRT, AE-C, FAARC
Professor, Department of Respiratory Care and Cardiopulmonary Sciences University of Southern Alabama
Mobile, AL
Helen Sorenson, MA, RRT, FAARC
Assistant Professor, Dept. of
Respiratory Care
University of Texas Health Sciences Center
San Antonio, TX
Current Issue
Waste Anesthetic Gases (WAGs) among Employees
James D. McGlothlin, MPH, PhD, CPE and John E. Moenning, DDS, MSD
The scavenging of waste anesthetic gases (WAGs) is recommended by every professional organization and government agency involved with anesthesia to reduce occupational exposure to health care personnel.1 WAGs in health care environments have been associated with adverse health outcomes in unscavenged situations.2-21 Operating rooms and dental operatories have developed techniques to decrease occupational exposure by scavenging the WAGs and minimizing potential health problems, but few studies have addressed WAGs in the post-anesthetic care unit (PACU).22,23 Monitoring of WAGs, primarily nitrous oxide, has been done using dosimetry badges, hand-held monitoring devices, and infrared spectrophotometry. While these measuring devices give readings in the part per million (ppm) ranges, they cannot visualize the gas during or following administration to a patient. This can be important when determining leaks or direct exposure from patients exhaling residual levels of the anesthetic gases. Recent advances in infrared (IR) videography technology have made it possible to visualize nitrous oxide leakage. Because these leak sources can be readily identified from infrared imaging, the WAGs can be more easily controlled through the elimination of leaks, especially to scavenging systems, so that occupational exposures to personnel in the PACU are decreased. In this article, Drs. McGlothlin and Moenning presents a brief overview of WAGs in the healthcare industry, with a focus on healthcare personnel in the PACU. Recent exposure and risk assessment studies using IR thermography cameras and IR sensors to identify and quantify WAG (i.e., N20) exposures among PACU employees are pointing toward an unidentified and relatively new health exposure concern for these employees.61
Panel Discussion: Waste Anesthetic Gases:
Panelists: David Farr, MD, Joni Brady, MSN, RN, CAPA, Jim McGlothlin, MD
Waste anesthetic gases (WAGs) pose a significant health hazard in the hospital setting and must be controlled to protect healthcare workers. In this panel discussion, three experts discuss the scope of WAGs as an acute and chronic health hazard, both in the operating room (OR) and post-anesthetic care unit (PACU) settings, and review the many health conditions associated with excess exposure to WAGs. Also discussed are the many government guidelines and other publications that outline exposure limits and offer practical solutions to the problem.
This program is sponsored by Teleflex
Clinical Foundations is published quarterly by Saxe Healthcare Communications.
Please direct your correspondence to:
Saxe Healthcare Communications
P.O. Box 1282
Burlington, VT 05402
sshapiro@saxecommunications.com
Fax: (802) 872-7558
Clinical Foundations is a serial education program distributed free of charge to health professionals. Clinical Foundations is published by Saxe Healthcare Communications and is sponsored by Teleflex. The goal of Clinical Foundations: A Patient-Focused Education Program for Respiratory Care Professionals is to present clinically- and evidence-based practices to assist the clinician in making an informed decision on what is best for his/her patient. The opinions expressed in Clinical Foundations are those of the authors only. Neither Saxe Healthcare Communications nor Teleflex make any warranty or representations about the accuracy or reliability of those opinions or their applicability to a particular clinical situation. Review of these materials is not a substitute for a practitioner’s independent research and medical opinion. Saxe Healthcare Communications and Teleflex disclaim any responsibility or liability for such material. They shall not be liable or any direct, special, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages of any kind arising from the use of this publication or the materials contained therein.