Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton Receives National Recognition for Go Clear Award in Surgery

Photo By Felicia Crosson | Front row L-R: Navy Capt. Jeremy Hawker, Director of Nursing Services, Cmdr. Thomas Nipper Director of Surgical Services, Navy Capt. Shelley Perkins, commanding officer of Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, Lt. Cmdr. Sarah Frasure OR Nurse Champion for Go Clear, Navy Capt. Sharon House, executive officer of Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, Cmdr. Matthew Kuettel Assistant Director of Surgical Services presenting the Go Clear award to the Nurses and Surgical Technologist of Naval Hospitals Main Operating Room.  

CAMP PENDLETON , CA, UNITED STATES

12.11.2020

Story by Felicia Crosson 

Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton

Lieutenant Commander Annissa Cromer
October 2020

Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton (NHCP) has announced that it has earned the Go Clear Award™ Gold status, the highest tier! This status has been received for the achievement in eliminating hazardous smoke from its surgical procedures, and is the first Navy Medical Treatment Center to earn such a prestigious award. The Go Clear Award is presented by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) to recognize health care facilities that have committed to providing increased surgical patient and health care worker safety by implementing practices that eliminate smoke caused by the use of lasers and electrosurgery devices during surgery. NHCP earned its award with 96% completion of comprehensive surgical smoke education and testing, and for providing the medical devices and resources necessary to evacuate surgical smoke during all smoke-generating procedures. Additionally, the operating room completed 12 weeks of audits during surgical procedures that yielded 99% compliance of use of a smoke evacuation system.

Surgical smoke is the unwanted by-product of energy-generating devices that are used in 90 percent of all surgeries. Its contents include toxic chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide, viruses, bacteria, blood and cancer cells. Inhalation and absorption of surgical smoke pose serious health risks to patients and surgical staff. Studies compare the inhalation of smoke from vaporized human tissue to the smoke created by cigarettes; the average daily impact of surgical smoke to the surgical team is equivalent to inhaling 27-30 unfiltered cigarettes. Today, it is estimated only 50% of health care workers across the U.S. understand the hazards of smoke exposure.

Aligning with the Commanding Officer’s Philosophy, “Patients are our family and the reason we are here. Be Ready, Be Relevant, Be Resolute.”

• Date Taken: 12.11.2020
• Date Posted: 12.11.2020 11:00
• Story ID: 384770
• Location: CAMP PENDLETON , CA, US