"Time Warp"Eunice's History of an OR Nurse While I was at Jackson Memorial Hospital (JMH), the new building with nine operating rooms was built. The first night in it we did a craniotomy. The surgeon needed a particular instrument (I DID NOT drop it). The autoclaves were new to JMH, and believe it or not, I was the only one on the night shift who knew how to run them. They were like the ones we had at my hospital school. We, and the patient, survived that one, too.
When I came up to Gainesville to go back to school, I didn't work in the OR. I worked at the U. of F. Infirmary until my kids'started being born. Then I went to Alachua General Hospital (AGH) on the "floor" until my next child was born. Came back to AGH on a part-time basis. I was charge relief on all units.
One day I was assigned to the ER, when Dr. Glenn Summerlin had a chest wound come in and needed to put in chest tubes. I had the good fortune to assist him. Afterwards, he asked me where I learned to assist and know how to anticipate (an OR nurses greatest asset). Of course, I had to brag about my OR experience (once an OR nurse, always an OR nurse).
Not too long after that my relief duty was limited to OR only. Helen Bingham was supervisor at that time and was kind enough to put up with me. This was in the original, old AGH building that no longer stands and, being old, many things happened. One time the air conditioning went out and everyone was sweating to death. We wrapped cold clothes around the docs necks and blew fans over buckets of ice. Crude but it worked and no one died of heat exhaustion. Infections were not as rampant then (that's becuase OR nurses were pure).
Those were also the days when all the plugs had to be 5 feet above the floor because of anesthesia gases not being suctioned off. Many a time the anesthetist had to be joggled awake from gas inhalation (Not deliberate).
One day the suction was plugged in, the Bovie (yes, real Bovies) was plugged in, and whatever else was being used was plugged in. Plugs and tubes everywhere so that any nimble, ballet dancer would have had no trouble. After many years of ballet, I still tripped, fell into the kick bucket, rolled across the floor, and disconnected everything in the process. Everyone stood there with their mouth opened and I was too embarassed to complain about any pain. Amazing that they still let me work in OR. People back then seemed to have a much better sense of humor.
One opthalmologist, who's name I will not mention, couldn't stand to see the nurses with tape from the wrappers stuck on their scrubs. Of course, this was all we needed to needle him. We used to go around with "corsages" made from removed tape when we knew he was going to be there. When he went into his room we removed them. We did have consideration for the patient.
This was also the time when the OR personnel went up to the patients the night before and did the shave and prep, and if an ortho case, did a "sterile" wrap on the extremity. One thing this did was let you get to know your patient so that the next day they saw a familiar face, and believe it or not, were comforted.
Another incident at AGH OR worth mentioning: One day a gynecologist was doing a vag. hyst and seated comfortably in his chair for the procedure. After the case, when he was putting the packing in, I said, "Sir, I'm moving the chair, is that OK?" Of course he said, "yes" and promptly forgot. As the anesthesiologist looked up she saw him sinking into the abyss with me grabbing him for HIS life. He didn't hit the floor or me. He merely stood up, banged his head on the light, smiled with dignity and said nothing. Later in years, my sister worked for him as his office nurse he still remembered. I guess there's some things you never forget.
As I mentioned above, those were the days when you had to put the metal plate under the patient for grounding the Bovie and the cords and tips were reusable so you guarded them with your life. The suctions were Gomcos, the laps were washed and resterilzed for use, the syringe and needles, including suture needles, were all reusable so had to be checked for burrs, sharpened and put in "books". Each scrub had their own book that they guarded with their body and soul. That way they knew what was there and how good they were. A matter of survival. Did I mention the gloves were washed, patched and resterilized, too.
Of course, these were the days when only RN's were in the OR so we fought over who would get to scrub. We did try to alternate as much as possible, but most of us got real ugly if we were put in the circulating situation two days in a row. That's was a No-No.
We also wound and packaged our own suture. The only prepackaged suture was cat gut. These glass tubes were soaked in solution and dispensed into the field with "sterile" pickups. You had to rinse the preserative solution off before giving them to the doc. You also had to cut them in desired lengths. Some wanted half, (the easy length), some 2/3, 3/4 etc. More fun!
I remember the first neuro case done at AGH. I circulated. The assistant was more concerned about his hunting dog that had been to Texas for training and was returning that afternoon, than the case. It still turned out OK and the patient survived.
I happened to be in on the first cardiovascular case there, too. This reminds me of the first cardiovascular case in JMH. It was a mitral commissurotomy and I got the thrill of scrubbing with the visiting doc from Chicago (I think that was where he was from). When he severed the fibers, he cut a hole in the index finger of his glove, slipped on a knife that looked like a guitar pick, and proceeded. As I said, this was before Pasteur discovered those nasty little bugs called bacteria. Louis and I used to date.
Submitted by Eunice Hoffman RN, MEd, CNOR
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