Endovenous Ablation Outstrips Ligation
Re: "Should You Add Varicose Vein Procedures?" (June, page 39). Thanks, Dr. Rosenberg, for a great article that may be news to many practitioners. As an RN in sales for custom interventional trays, I have come to work with many vascular surgeons as well as interventional radiologists performing the laser variation of this procedure. As a former surgical nurse for 19 years, I remember all of the saphenous vein ligations and strippings we used to do. First, we had a fully reusable stripping set with different size dilators and strippers. We moved up the ladder with the fully disposable system, but the patient still had the same pain and ugly scar results. Endovenous ablation is really a great way to obliterate these nasty veins, and to do it simply, safely and in a pain-free amount of time.

Jude Johnston, RN
Clinical Specialist, Sterile Products Division
Custom Medical Specialties
Pine Level, N.C.
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The photo that accompanies "Should You Add Varicose Vein Procedures?" reveals more than Dr. Rosenberg's profile: there's also his lack of a surgical cap and mask during the invasive procedure of ablating varicose veins. As a director of surgery for many years, I can say with certainty that this is a huge break in good aseptic practice. Hats and masks are indeed indicated during surgical procedures and invasive procedures such as these. Perhaps Dr. Rosenberg should focus on the basics and worry less on "cutting edge technologies" and reimbursement.

Brian D. Johnson, RN, MS
Director of Perioperative Services
Belleville Memorial Hospital
Belleville, Ill.
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In Praise of Central Sterile
The central sterile department of the operating room is like the spoke of the wheel on a bicycle. You must follow the department's policies and procedures to the letter, day after day and every time, or it's all for naught.

Patients won't ask to see your sterilization records. They're more concerned about the length of their procedure, how much they'll hurt afterwards and how big a scar they'll have, than whether their instruments are cleaned and sterilized properly.

Yet it's up to qualified professional nurses and technologists to meticulously perform their jobs with diligence as if it were their own case they were preparing for. The job may become routine, but the care that we render to those we don't know shouldn't. Sometimes we have a politician or a celebrity come to our facility. But you know what? These VIPs receive the exact same care all the other patients of the day receive: excellent, professional and private.

Susan McCann, RN
Performance Improvement Coordinator
Gainesville Surgery Center
Gainesville, Ga.
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