HOW TO CRUSH ICE

[nevermind]

Hi , fellows, i just wonder to know how to crush ice in the process of surgery. do you have special machine to make ice crusher. As we all know , in some procedure , we need ice crusher to cool the blood, so that we can reduce the blood supply of organ, such as kidney. Surprised that Usually we shave the frozen steriled 500 ml per pocket saline with blade, it is not safe and easy to hurt your fingers, and cost a lot of time. do you have special appliance to make flake ice, especially for hank crank ice crusher. if you have, could you please send me a link ,or pictures. thanks.

[MereSanity]

We used a slush machine...we had one in open heart too....I'd look into an open heart suite as that is where they are most used. You use a sterile plastic cover over a bowl looking machine that constantly moves the ice up and down...it forms slush. I am wondering if the way you are doing it would be sterile? Then you scoop the slush with a sterile bowl or cup. Good luck!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Another vote for finding a slush machine. Easy to use, safe, and while not instantaneous, most will have at least some slush in 10-15 minutes. Many links: surgical slush machine

The one we use at my facility, which is a dual slush machine and fluid warmer for when rewarming patients to normothermia: http://www.ecolab.com/equipment/surgical-slush/

[ORoxyO]

We have also used slush machines in every OR I have ever seen.

[scrubnurselife]

Another vote for the slush machine!

[AliciaLim]

Do it Yourself : Ice Slush

[lm2009]

We have a slush machine for most organs, but for kidneys, we usually use frozen bags of saline and crush is with a mallet that comes in the tray. I much prefer the slush machine. It's easier and it makes way better slush that me hammering the frozen bag of saline! :)

[WeMed]

Hi,

maybe my input is a little bit late. In close cooperation with transplant surgeons ans surgical technicians we have developed a sterilizable ice-mill. Driven by crank or drilling machine

We Med

Wolfgang

Austria

[FurBabyMom, MSN, RN]

We have a machine similar to what RoseQueen mentioned - part slush machine, part fluid warmer. We use it for many hearts, transplants, some vascular cases and some neuro cases. Generally with warmed or room temp fluids we get some ice in about 15 minutes, but with chilled saline we get a higher volume faster. The machine is great but it's so loud... We also freeze bags of saline designed to be frozen, and break them up by using a mallet. A coworker likes to throw them on the ground with largely the same result (while still sealed and with checking the package integrity).