Operating Room (OR)

🔹 Key Features of an Operating Room:

1. Sterility and Clean Environment

   • Strict infection control protocols are followed.

   • Entry is limited to essential personnel wearing sterile attire.

   • Airflow is filtered with positive pressure systems to keep contaminants out.

2. Specialized Equipment

   • Operating table: Adjustable for patient positioning during surgery.

   • Surgical lights: Bright, shadow-free lighting for visibility.

   • Anesthesia machine: Delivers gases and monitors the patient’s vital signs.

   • Monitors: Track heart rate, oxygen level, blood pressure, and more.

   • Suction devices: Remove blood or fluids from the surgical site.

   • Electrosurgical units: Cut tissue or stop bleeding using electricity.

3. Personnel in the OR

   • Surgeon: Performs the procedure.

   • Surgical assistant: Supports the surgeon (may be another doctor or a trained technician).

   • Anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist: Administers anesthesia and monitors the patient.

   • Scrub nurse/tech: Maintains the sterile field and hands tools to the surgeon.

   • Circulating nurse: Moves in and out of the OR, providing necessary supplies without entering the sterile area.

4. Types of Procedures Performed

   • Elective surgeries: Planned procedures (e.g., joint replacement, hernia repair).

   • Emergency surgeries: Performed due to trauma or acute illness (e.g., appendectomy).

   • Minimally invasive surgeries: Laparoscopic or robotic-assisted surgeries with small incisions.

   • Major surgeries: Open procedures involving organs or large areas of the body.

🔹 Operating Room Zones (for infection control):

1. Unrestricted zone: Street clothes are allowed (e.g., hallways, waiting areas).

2. Semi-restricted zone: OR attire required; hair covered.

3. Restricted zone: Inside the OR; strict sterile techniques applied.

🔹 Safety and Protocols in the OR:

• "Time-out" procedure: A mandatory pre-surgery verification to confirm patient identity, surgery type, and site.

• Instrument count: Ensures no tools or materials are left inside the patient.

• Temperature and humidity: Carefully regulated to maintain patient safety and protect equipment.

🔹 Post-Operation:

• After surgery, patients are moved to the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) for recovery and monitoring.

Summary:

The Operating Room is a critical area in any hospital, where life-saving and life-improving surgeries take place under the strictest conditions. It brings together technology, hygiene, and teamwork to ensure successful outcomes for patients.