OR Cord Control
Here are 5 ways to corral those electrical cords and cables that are a trip-and-fall hazard for your surgical team.

— Compiled by David Bernard

• Braids. Braiding anesthesia cords into a single strand not only prevents tripping. It also makes it easy to identify and separate the cords if they're bundled with other cables.
?

• Solution bottles. Used solution bottles neatly contain cords along the side of the OR table. Rinse an empty bottle, and then cut off its top and bottom and make a slit down the side. Place the cords through the open bottle and tape it to the side of your table.
?

• Shower curtain rods. Cut a plastic 6-foot long shower curtain rod cover into 2-foot sections and wrap it around the cords lying across the base of your OR table. This keeps the cords from falling onto surgeons' feet during the procedure and protects the cords from being pinched when you raise or lower the bed. Dispose of shower rod covers between cases.
?

• Homemade hangers. Make hangers out of 3???16" stainless steel rods and use them to hang cords and cables from surgical tables, equipment booms and equipment carts. You can cut the rod to the desired lengths and bend them into hooks. Wide bends can be done by hand, but tighter hooks will require heating the rod with a propane torch, placing it in a vice and bending it to the desired shape.
?

• Water noodles. Slice a colored water noodle lengthwise to the hollow center so the noodle opens like a clamshell. This is the perfect place to stow the electrical cord that runs from the head to the end of the bed where pneumatic devices hang.

?