Dressed for the OR

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Specializes in retired LTC.

I don't do OR; in reality, I can't even watch TV when they make those surgical incisions. Makes me queasy. Other than my own few necessary surgeries, that's it. I mean, I gag when I have to take out PICC line sutures to dc the PICC! I do watch the TV medical shows (as we all do) to catch the discrepancies.

Saw something the other day on Monsters Inside Me, The show talks about people who experience parasitic, viral, bacterial, etc infections. This pt went to surgery to explore swollen lymph nodes. Something caught my attention. The surgeon & nurse were at the gurney-side (table-side, stretcher-side; what do they call the OR bed?) doing their surgery on the draped pt with their instruments holding bloody sponges.

****** Here's the thing - they had bare arms. They were gloved and had short sleeves on, but their forearms from wrist to mid-upper arm were exposed. All I could think of was a fuzzy forearm hair specimen or skin cells falling off onto the surgical field and/or into the incision.

This was just a TV faux-pas, yes? At the table-side, the OR team would be wearing long sleeves, yes?

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Absolutely TV inaccuracy. While the unsterile staff in the OR may have on just scrubs, those directly involved in the surgery (surgeon, assistant, and instrument person) will have performed a surgical scrub and will be wearing full sterile gowns and gloves.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

TY. I thought it was weird, bit I don't do OR, so I wasn't sure. Again, another one of TV's inaccuracies.

And it was such a simplistic OR scene as they did the surgery. It focused on the blood & gore, but it was the bare arms that jumped out at me.

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Re-enactments on shows like that usually will post a disclaimer stating that it is a re-enactment, etc. etc. which are usually far from accurate.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing, CPEN, Pediatrics, Obstetric.

My wife watches General Hospital...if you want a good laugh, watch some of that.(although I don't recommend it because I hate that show).

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Specializes in Primary Care, OR.

Hahaha I love that show!!! Terrible depictions of everything but still fun to watch with my hubby, love to see him cringe!!!

Then of course the next day he thinks he has an acanthus amoeba in his eyeball!!!!:roflmao:

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