Letters & E-mails

Overheated Patients
Re: "A Warming Trend" (June, page 44). Even though we're aggressively warming our patients intra-op and post-op, we haven't lowered our incidence of post-op hypothermia (below 96.8 ?F). We monitor our patient's temperature on PACU admit, and we're still noting that about 5 percent of them are hypothermic. As your article states, we're now encouraging and promoting pre-op warming, but many of our patients — especially those who are overweight — are resisting this because they say they feel uncomfortably hot when we place a forced-air warming gown on them in pre-op.

Patrick Price, RN, BSN
OR Manager/Supervisor
Integris-Baptist Regional Health Center
Miami, Okla.
[email protected]

Helping Our Four-legged Friends
Re: "Leftovers: Give Them to the Dogs" (June, page 20). I was pleasantly surprised to see this. When I was at a large hospital, we kept opened but unused items in a storeroom and the zoo came twice a month to collect everything we had for use in the animal hospital and clinic. Since moving to my current position, we've been saving items for local vets. We've even donated obsolete medical equipment to them after finding it very difficult to donate these items to third-world countries. If these items can help our four-legged friends and save our facilities and the landfills, why not donate? I'm sure we could all find someplace to donate these items.

Karen Gabbert, RN, BSN
Clinical Director
Surgery Center of Kansas
Wichita, Kan.
[email protected]

For the Record
Re: "10 Ways to Save on Supply Costs" (May, page 42). We've received several inquiries for more information about circuitGuard, an anesthesia breathing circuit protection unit. This FDA-approved filter device prevents cross-contamination and lets you reuse a circuit throughout the day. These disposable devices cost $1.85 each for the standard model and $2.85 for a version with a HME humidifier. They're sold by the case of 100 by ARC Medical, of Tucker, Ga. Learn more at www.arcmedical.com or by calling (800) 950-2720, ext. 272.

Re: "The Latest in Video Laryngoscopes" (May, page 40). We omitted the new C-MAC video laryngoscope from Karl Storz Endoscopy in our product roundup. C-MAC is designed for mobile and daily use, with no learning curve, says the company. The C-MAC blade provides an 80-degree field of view for adult and difficult airways. The standard stainless blades come in a shape similar to the Macintosh blade. A seven-inch TFT monitor provides a high-resolution image and can be attached either to a pole stand or transported in a specially designed soft bag. The lithium-ion battery-operated monitor is immediately ready to use, with no need for white balance or focus. A unique feature of the new monitor is built-in image capture for still images and short video clips. Learn more at www.karlstorz.com or by calling (800) 421-0837, ext. 2900