Care of specimen and positioning Flashcards
What are the three types of specimen?
Tissue, fluids and non-biologic specimen
Types of fluid specimens
Such as exudates, cerebralspinal fluid, urine, aminotic fluid and semen for infertility study.
Test such as bacteriology, virology, cytology, cell count and genetic studies
Types of tissue specimens
Such as tissue from diseased organs, suspicious leison, breast tissue, gallstone and malignant leison.
Test such as frozen section, biopsy and histology
Types of non-biologic specimens
Such as foreign body, amputated limb, clothing of crime or accident victim and patient properties.
What are the three categories for care of specimens
Labelling, preservation and proper dispatch
What are the roles of circulating nurse in labelling? #1
Incorrectly labeled specimenc could result in mistaken diagnosis with possible critical implication for patients.
Specimen without labelling could be lost, and could prevent/delay determination of diagnosis and initiation of therapy.
What are the roles of circulating nurse in labelling? #2
- Put up the appropriate forms
- If more than one specimen, to label them in numerical order and use separate container
- Label the specimens with the following particulars:
- a) Patient name
- b) Identification number
- c) Ward/ bed number
- d) Date of operation
- e) Nature of specimen
- f) Investigation required
What is the main purpose of proper preservation of specimen?
It is to prevent break down of tissue.
Preserve the tissues or cells without any shrinkage or swelling and without distoring or dissolving cellular consituent.
Who are involved in specimen preservation?
Circulating and scrub nurse
What are the role of scrub nurse in specimen preservation? #1
- Do not clamp or crush the specimen
- Save all specimen in the gallipot
- Use care to avoid contaminating the outside of specimen container
- Do not mix the specimen
What are the role of scrub nurse in specimen preservation? #2
- Avoid traumatising the specimen
- Use appropriate container
- Immerse specimen into perservative completely
- Use correct and sufficient preservatives
- Ensure container is sealed properly before handling it over to circulating nurse
- some specimen require double bag to secure
What are the role of circulating nurse in specimen preservation?
- Practice universal precautions
- select the correct container - Eg, pathology tissue are kept with a formaldehyde solution to prevent the specimen from drying gout
- culture should be refrigerated or send to the lab immediately
How to properly dispatch specimen?
Dispatch and labelling is done by the circulating nurse .
- Check that all the particulars tally with the request form
- Ensure the dispatch form is acknowledge by the lab nurse
- Confirm the total number of specimen with the scrub nurse
- Specimen for frozen section do not require preservative but it is to be sent to the lab immediately
How to care for specimen?
Fresh such as lymph node do not require preservation but need to be dispatched as soon as possible.
Patients property such as gallstone, return to patient through ward nurses and record in patient property book.
Amputated limbs wrapped in plastic and double bag. Enter patient particulars in the mortuary card if dispatched to mortuary for burial. File the necessary burial, cremation or disposable form in the case note
Fluids or tissues for culture should be place in sterile container with or without media and to be sent to lab as soon as possible.
Specimen for culture should be refrigerated as room air may kill anaerobes that is present within specimen.
What is the expected outcome for patient in positioning?
Patient will not be harmed by positioning, prepping or draping for the surgical procedure.
