Infection Control issue? - Pre-set up of yaunker and tubing to wall suction "just in case"

[TheMursingMurse]

Hello everyone!

Work at an outpatient Endo center. We have tubing set up to wall suction "just in case" anything should happen to our patients. The set ups are in pre-op, procedure rooms, and recovery bays. The canisters, tubing, and yaunkers are always replaced with new ones if used. The "pre" set up has yaunkers still attached to the tubing, but still kept in the package (Photo attached for reference).

My question is - if that set up is not used, should it be thrown away? The yaunkers are technically open, put only at the tail end where it's connected to the tubing. Is this an infection control issue if we leave the set up for days and days? I feel like we need to throw these away, at least at the end of the day if not in use.

Does anyone have any answers on this? Anything from a reputable source that can I use as evidence based practice? Thanks!

[HarleyvQuinn, MSN, RN, NP]

15 hours ago, ar2d2 said:

Outpatient surgery here. We do the same thing, as far as pre set up. Quality did not like yankaeur attached to tubing, yankauer must be un opened! I recommend changing it, as your gut is telling you similar.

We did that in the ER, too. We changed everything out with each turnover of the room after the patient was admitted/transferred/discharged, though. I do admit it was wasteful if the suction wasn't used, though.

[CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN]

I wouldn't keep an open yankauer. If I need a new one now, I typically just push the back through the paper side of the wrapper and attach it to the tubing. Then the wrapper slides off as I bring it to the patient.

[BlueShoes12, BSN, RN]

We keep the tubing set up (new tubing and canister for each patient) and clip the unopened yankauer package to the wall above the canister using a command spring clip. Literally takes less than half a second to attach the yankauer.

[Closed Account 12345]

Yes, I worked in a hospital that was dinged for this exact set up! The surveyors mentioned dust, not knowing if equipment had been used, and not knowing if family members had handled the equipment out of curiosity. The recommendation was to keep the yaunker available right there with the suction set up but still enclosed in its packaging.

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

When I worked in the NICU, we had these open on so many patients and they were labeled and if unused, thrown away every three days. If they were used, thrown away every shift change.

We had tons and tons of unused suction that were thrown away every day.

So you are absolutely correct....there needs to be a limit on how long they can stay there and they need to be labeled.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

There sounds like there is a lot of medical waste going on in many of these facilities! That said, the yankauer should be kept in an easily accessible position- unopened.

IMO, the biggest problem with having an opened package holding the yankauer attached to the suction tubing is not contamination from air (or other contaminants somehow entering the package), but the potential for a nurse assuming it is unused when it actually has been used and forgotten. There is no reason to open that package. The time it takes to open it and attach it to tubing is negligible and the likelihood of that time lapse making the difference between life and death or significant morbidity is essentially nil.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

8 hours ago, Horseshoe said:

IMO, the biggest problem with having an opened package holding the yankauer attached to the suction tubing is not contamination from air (or other contaminants somehow entering the package), but the potential for a nurse assuming it is unused when it actually has been used and forgotten.

Yep, this. Single patient use items that are open shouldn't be left in a room for patient after patient to come through. If a surveyor came in and asked if an open item had been used, you really couldn't definitively say that it hadn't unless it's still sealed. Darn surveyors. ?

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

On 8/14/2019 at 1:09 PM, brownbook said:

Very observant intelligent question.

She opens the bottom of the yankauer package so the yankauer is ready, connected to, the plastic suction hose that goes to the suction canister. When a patient needs suctioning it can almost be an emergency. It's not the time to be fumbling with opening packages and connecting things. It's kind of standard operating procedure in recovery units to have suctioning set up this way.

True, but I think the suggestion is to have the tubing, canister, etc. all set up, just that the package containing the Yankauer is not open. It is immediately at hand, though. All you'd have to do is rip it open and make the connection.

good question, OP. Is there an Infection Control at your work place?