Swabs or cotton wool?

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Beth Quance — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:25:28 GMT

Same, used cotton wool for 10 years and never any problems!

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Steph Phillips — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 08:16:50 GMT

[quote user="Nick Shackleton"]

[quote user="Steph Phillips"]

[quote user="Nick Shackleton"] Think of the 'dust' particles that are expelled into to the environment when you tear it apart? Can't be great in a theatre environment[/quote]

Which is why I tear cotton wool apart before surgery begins (during setting up), and tear enough to last however many ops we have in that day

[/quote]

and leaving sitting around all day nice

[/quote]

lol.. it's not.. we prep about 9.45, start ops at 10 (yes we are a quiet practice) and leave the cotton in one of those plastic zipper bags.

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Cheryl RVN — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:46:21 GMT

Use non-woven swabs.

Never seen any problems with cotton wool or swabs. However if the patient has tough spiky hair which cannot be funny removed with the clippers cotton wool tends to get caught/stick on them.

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Nick Shackleton — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:01:37 GMT

[quote user="Steph Phillips"]

[quote user="Nick Shackleton"] Think of the 'dust' particles that are expelled into to the environment when you tear it apart? Can't be great in a theatre environment[/quote]

Which is why I tear cotton wool apart before surgery begins (during setting up), and tear enough to last however many ops we have in that day

[/quote]

and leaving sitting around all day nice

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Steph Phillips — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:47:51 GMT

[quote user="Nick Shackleton"] Think of the 'dust' particles that are expelled into to the environment when you tear it apart? Can't be great in a theatre environment[/quote]

Which is why I tear cotton wool apart before surgery begins (during setting up), and tear enough to last however many ops we have in that day

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Teh Fluffeh — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:55:47 GMT

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Nick Shackleton — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:58:10 GMT

[quote user="bumble bee"]HAve used cotton wool in 3 practices in 20yrs with no problems.I do agree that swabs make the skin red !!

[/quote]

Just cos you have done something for 20 years without problems does that really make it right? or even best practice?

I'm afraid I'm a non-woven Swab kinda guy. Think of the 'dust' particles that are expelled into to the environment when you tear it apart? Can't be great in a theatre environment. As others have said not good everyone tearing bits off, can't be hygienic.

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

bumble bee — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:40:42 GMT

HAve used cotton wool in 3 practices in 20yrs with no problems.I do agree that swabs make the skin red !!

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Izzie — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:39:06 GMT

Over my 12 years as a nurse and every practice I have worked in cotton wool as always been used. Some of the SVN's have come back from college saying to use swabs and they have started using them but then end up back using cotton wool. Have never seen any problems with using cotton wool and I have always got my scrub ready with the cotton wool sitting in it and no one has ever told me about the cotton deactivating the hibi.

How does it deactivate the hibi?

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Leigh Hinsley RVN NCert(BDev) MBVNA — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 14:07:21 GMT

[quote user="sisterscope1"]

Also, with loads of hands grabbing bits of cotton wool off a great big roll, I don't think it would be very clean. It's largely down to personal preference I guess, but I would always aim to go for best practice even if the rationale is largely theoretical.

[/quote]

This is a good point, one that I've worried about in our practice but nothing seems to be done about it. I didn't know hibiscrub was deactivated when cotton wool was left soaking in it? We routinely prepare our srcub whilst setting up for surgery so if theres any delay in induction they can be sat soaking for a while. This has me concerned now!!

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Felicity Caldwell — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 17:36:02 GMT

Swabs! We edged away from using cotton wool as it is more likely to leave small bits and fibres still on the skin (dependant on the patients skin and grizzlyness factor!). Having said that, scrubbing too hard with swabs can make the skin rather red. I suppose it can be a bit of a personal preference - but I prefer swabs.

We use the 'blue paint' (Vetasept I think it is called) - and that just gets applied and left for 3 mins to dry before sterile. However, I do get twitchy with it if skin is a little dirty or greasy. I was told that you can still apply it and it still works - but I do like to degrease and clean dirty dogs before I apply the 'final' sterile coating......think I have gone off on a bit of a tangent there!!!

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Laura James — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 13:54:41 GMT

We use cotton wool with no problems

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Nicola Smith — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 07:50:46 GMT

I too have seen people scrubbing at patients like doorsteps and taking a layer of skin off in the process - I think its because scrub is in the title - then they wonder whey their patients get terrible sore rashes after.

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

xhappysvn21x — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 07:50:37 GMT

anyone know were i can read about this deactivation of hibi in cottonwool research, sounds abit wacky never heard it before. how quickly are we talking?[quote user="Laura Mackay"]

Just wanted to know what people out there use in general practice to scrub animals for surgical procedures? We use cotton wool, but a new member of staff said we should be using swabs and forceps.

We never leave the cotton wool in the scrub solution.

[/quote]

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

kaz84 — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 06:00:19 GMT

we have always used cotton wool routinely. anyway we recently just got a new nurse in and on the first day she did her scrub her way........... on the final prep she sprayed the iodine on then didnt let it dry, then she opened sterile swabs, used her hands to "wipe" the site dry........... now i have never heard this happening in clinics.... only the vet will wipe the site dry once they are sterile.... this to me sounds wrong and isnt aseptic technique? we have informed her to only do scrub up as per our clinic protocol

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Juliet Drummond DAVN (med) RVN D32/33 — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 03:12:48 GMT

[quote user="sisterscope1"]

Non-sterile non-woven swabs, less traumatic compared to gauze - atraumatic technique in skin prep is essential. Have found myself telling many people over the years "it's a patient, not a doorstep...". Not that I think many people scrub their doorsteps anymore.

Personally, I can't stand cotton wool; it makes my teeth go all funny. In vitro, chlorhexidine gluconate is deactivated by cotton, though the concentrations we use clinically are much higher and therefore it is of no significance. Cotton wool sheds more fibres compared to non-woven materials which act as a foreign body in a wound. Also, with loads of hands grabbing bits of cotton wool off a great big roll, I don't think it would be very clean. It's largely down to personal preference I guess, but I would always aim to go for best practice even if the rationale is largely theoretical.

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that is the reason we don't use cotton wool. i also agree with the non-woven swabs, much less abrasive than gauze.

we get sofswab 10x10cm 12ply from nvs, about £5 for 200.

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Sarah Southworth RVN CertVNECC — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:26:01 GMT

We only use cotton wool and hibiscrub, all out branches do the same. We dont leave it soaking though. We have no problems

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Nick Shackleton — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:53:32 GMT

[quote user="Dhoona"]

Has anyone used the Chloraprep or Duraprep ? Any comments ?

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do you mean the lollipops sticks (filled with chlorohex and spirit) with the sponges on the end. Use them in my current job during interventional radiology procedures, such as biopsies and drain placements.

Can't see how they could be used in the vet industry. You'd need plenty to prep a patient prior to surgery. and If your thinking of prior to iv cannulation we used tubes of either chlorohex/water and another with cholorhex/water/spirit. both had swabs in them. One of each was used to prep the skin prior to cannulation

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:32:14 GMT

I have always used cotton wool but I hate it as well, it goes straight through me -- I can cope with handling it myself if I grit my teeth but I have to run away when someone else is using it near me :)

Although I do use swabs for the farm collies brought in for ops that are still covered in 4 day old mud ! It makes the initial skin prep quicker before doing a final skin prep with cotton wool followed by spirit

Has anyone used the Chloraprep or Duraprep ? Any comments ?

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

sisterscope1 — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 17:35:22 GMT

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:56:37 GMT

[quote user="Rachel Jayne RVN C-SQP MBVNA"]as will pull off all the teeny fragments of stubble/hair left over [/quote]

I use a lint roller for that

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Rachel Jayne — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:44:15 GMT

I've always used cotton wool, as has been mentioned above, less irritation to the skin.

However, I find swabs are fab for orthopaedic ops, as will pull off all the teeny fragments of stubble/hair left over

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

Steph Phillips — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:17:01 GMT

[quote user="Sally Roberts RVN, MBVNA"]

Only use cotton wool and no breakdown.

[/quote]

yup!! 'snap' for me too!

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

bumble bee — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:34:35 GMT

We use cotton wool. Swabs can be a bit abrasive on the skin causing post op irritation.

Re: Swabs or cotton wool?

lskm 23 — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:25:48 GMT

Im glad I put this on here, as I was made to feel as if we were doing something wrong by just using cotton wool. I have a foundation degree qualified nurse and she has been to various practices and has also only used cotton wool.

Glad to see most of you do what our practice does