Every year, the Association for periOperative Registered Nurses' (AORN) Congress is host to thousands of OR nurses and other healthcare professionals seeking education, networking opportunities, new ideas, and the chance to share their love of the profession with like-minded colleagues. Held in Chicago, Ill., March 14-19, this year's show offered a variety of perioperative nursing continuing education sessions on clinical, infection control, ambulatory surgery, and management topics, among others.
The annual Congress is also the conference of choice for many of the largest and most innovative companies to unveil their latest cutting-edge technologies for the OR. Living up to its theme, "Embrace the Future," the AORN Congress offered an exhibit hall featuring more than 600 companies, many of whom launched new products and services or offered demonstrations of their line of products. Below are some of the technological highlights seen at this year's Congress, but to get the full effect of this exciting show, be sure to make your plans to attend next year in Denver, Colo., March 14-18, 2010!!
Advances in hernia repair
A Silver Industry Sponsor of this year's Congress, Covidien Surgical Devices GBU introduced attendees to the AbsorbaTack 5mm absorbable mesh fixation device for hernia repair. The device provides a strong mesh attachment to surrounding tissues, while reducing the amount of foreign material remaining in the patient long-term. The company also displayed its RapidVac Smoke Evacuator for removal of surgical smoke, the Permacol biologic implant for abdominal wall reconstruction and complex hernia repair, and the Parietex ProGrip, a self-gripping open inguinal hernia repair mesh.
Leaders in temperature management
Any OR nurse knows that monitoring and managing a patient's temperature is one of the most important aspects of a surgical procedure. Several of this year's exhibitors were on hand to educate attendees on the latest in this area of perioperative practice.
LMA North America, Inc. showcased its PerfectTemp Patient Warming System, which was designed to combat both hypothermia and pressure ulcers, two major problems in the OR, by combining warming beneath the patient and advanced pressure reduction. Lightweight, durable, and easy to clean, the PerfectTemp system doesn't use a blanket, allowing better surgical access. The system generates no medical waste, and its state-of-the art design takes up less space than other systems.
Effective patient warming and/or cooling was the theme of Cincinnati Sub-Zero's booth, where they showed off their microprocessor-controlled Blanketrol II. This total body hyper-hypothermia water therapy system uses the largest heater and highest flow rates of any system of its kind to provide a rapid response to core body temperature regulation.
At the Arizant Healthcare Inc. exhibit, attendees learned that prevention of unintended hypothermia can begin in preop by prewarming patients with the Bair Paws system. When used before a procedure, the system can reduce the drop in core temperature during surgeries up to 1 hour in duration by increasing the body's total heat content.
Patient safety
Designed with the perioperative nurse in mind, the SurgiCount Safety-Sponge System from SurgiCount Medical allows circulating nurses to begin the count out procedure at their own pace and allows the scrub person to remain with the surgeon during the count out. This complete sponge and counting documentation system can drastically increase the accuracy of sponge counts, improving the efficiency and safety of the OR while reducing the risk of retained sponges.
Equipment care
With the enormous amount of equipment necessary in the OR, proper care is essential to ensure the life of surgical instruments. That's why representatives from Mobile Instrument Service and Repair were on hand to educate OR nurses and managers about the benefits of using one surgical equipment repair source versus multiple vendors and the dramatic reduction in costs that can be seen if a facility uses on-site service technicians. The company is also capable of performing extensive repairs, allowing ORs to get a longer life from their equipment investments.
Evolving research
Whether you've been an OR nurse for decades, or have recently transitioned into the role, you know that healthcare research and technology are constantly evolving. With the new, state-of-the art equipment on display at this year's Congress, expectations are high regarding the possibilities for next year's latest and greatest surgical instrumentation.