WHEEL WISDOM
Silence Those Squeaky Wheels

The squeaky wheels on rolling equipment and squealing drawers on case carts got our nurses and surgeons complaining and demanding we purchase new items. But that would have been unwise, since there was nothing structurally wrong with them. If you work a little bit of K-Y Jelly around the friction points, though, they sound as good as new. Almost any kind of surgical facility is going to have a water-based lube on hand, and unlike oils or other industrial lubricants, water-based lubes don't contain contaminants or flammable ingredients that you wouldn't want in your ORs. Best of all, it's been over a year since we tried out this solution and we haven't heard any squeaks since.

Jimmy Henderson
Outpatient Surgery Center
of Jonesboro (Ark.)
[email protected]