Abstract

ARENAS MARQUEZ, Humberto et al. Results of applying the surgical checklist in 60 patients. Cir. gen [online]. 2011, vol.33, n.3, pp.156-162. ISSN 1405-0099.

Objective: To assess the results of applying the surgical checklist to all patients subjected to surgery by our surgical team. Setting: Private medical institution. Design: Clinical prospective, cross-sectional, observational, descriptive study. Statistical analysis. Percentages as summary measure for qualitative variables. Material and methods: The surgical checklist was applied to 60 patients subjected to elective and emergency surgery in the General Surgery specialty performed by the same surgical team. We analyzed the events that altered the surgical flow related to environmental, technological factors, as well as those concerning supplies, team work, training, procedures, and others. Results: In the 60 patients in whom the surgical checklist was applied, 30 events were detected that altered the normal flow of the surgery, without having an impact on the patient. Of these, 13 were quasi-failures. The detected quasi-failures were a Sevorane leak, an oxygen leak in the anesthesia machines, missing of a suture needle in the final count, which was then found in the cavity, surgery packs inadequately sterilized with moist dressings, lack of surgical stapler due to wrong handling by the personnel, wrong stapler for the procedure to be performed, patient under spinal block whose arms were not held in place and caused contamination of the surgical field. All these events caused disruption of the surgical flow. Conclusion: The surgical checklist is a very useful tool to reduce adverse events in a surgical procedure.

Keywords : Patient safety; checklist; safe surgery.

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