CCU Sluice Room

[Maggiekh]

Our guys have designed a CCU/ICU/HDU and now decided the CCU rooms are too small. They plan to enlarge the rooms by cancelling the sluice/pan room. I have until tomorrow to come up with justification as to why this room is necessary in a coronary care unit. Although I know the reasons, I am having trouble with documentation to back the facts. Can anyone help me please?

[NurseGirlKaren]

What is a sluice room?

[jenadox]

I reeally wish I could help, but I am with Karen...I am not sure what a sluice room is either. Hope everything turns out okay.

[kewlnurse]

I have no idea what a sluice room is, so I would say you probably don't need one andwould be infinatly better offf with a bigger pt. rm.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Is that the dirty utility room, where you empty bedpans and such? Where do they propose you do all that stuff if you don't have the room anymore?

[gwenith, BSN, RN]

I'm thinking that the sluice room is the pan room - don't they realise that some ccu patients need to defecate and need to do it in a pan?

Most facilities I have worked use the "dirty utility/clean utility" room flow through to reduce cross infection. If it is dirty (i.e. used insertion trays) then it goes to the dirty utility room to be cleaned. This one way flow system stops contamination of clean stock.

I know this reply will be a little DUH! for most respondents but I have seen facilities where there was no cognisance given to this, what seems elimentary, flow system. Worst of all one was a burns unit!

[healingtouchRN]

what is a sluice room? never heard of this term.

[healingtouchRN]

oh a dirty utility room. We have toilets under our lavatories that swing out when needed & hide away when not needed. a great invention. The patients love it since you can move their beds closer to it & it's better than a potty chair since you don't have to clean it!

[Furball]

sounds like something you'd find in a meat packing plant.....