Nosocomial Infection

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Nosocomial infections, or infections acquired from a healthcare setting, should always be on the mind of surgical technologists. Recently, nosocomial infection rates have risen, and a surgical technologist must be very diligent in maintaining the sterile technique in order to combat this. A common type of nosocomial infection is surgical site infections, or SSIs. SSIs result from a variety of sources, both endogenous (such as bacteria living on the patient’s skin) and exogenous (outside the patient, such as from the equipment). Most SSIs and other nosocomial infections are caused by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). An important part of minimizing nosocomial infections is to perform the duties in the three …show more content…
All are modifications of the supine position, in which the patient lies flat on his back with arms extended and palms facing outward, with the exception of the prone position (Association of Surgical Technologists, 2014,p.362). Which positioning type to use is determined by each patient’s individual situation based on factors such as planned surgical procedure, age, size, etc and each type has their advantages and disadvantages. Surgical position usually happens after anesthesia has been administered to the …show more content…
Nosocomial infections are very common, with estimates that approximately 1 in 10 people admitted to a hospital contract one (Stubblefield, 2016, p.1). An infection is considered to be nosocomial when symptoms occur up to 48 hours after hospital admission, up to 3 days after discharge, up to 30 days after an operation, or in a healthcare facility when someone was admitted for reasons other than infection. The most common cause of a nosocomial infection is the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (Association of Surgical Technologists, 2014, p.130). It is a blood

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