two
Question: Does anyone have a good way to manage ties on your field, either on
the Mayo or back table, besides laying them under your towel on the Mayo stand?
(Editor’s Note: This question was posted on AST’s Facebook page. This is advice from surgical technologists across the
field and not endorsed by AST. Please adhere first to your facilities’ protocol regarding this issue.)
Megan Nelson
I leave the
in the package and clamp a
Hemostat on the corner to
hold them upright.
Misty Lynn Hardin
I roll them in my bump
towel on my Mayo or put
them in a folded towel on
my Mayo or keep them in
the package and put them
under the tray on my Mayo
with the open end sticking
out. Depends on the case.
Chris Gomez
Unfold a
towel once (so you have a
tri-folded towel), flip one
side and lay ties there,
then flip other side and lay
ties there. Very few cases
require more than two size
of ties nowadays.
Jamie Herman
I leave
them in the packet and pull
them out as I use them.
Natalie Wike Landry
Vicryl in the package you
can clamp ‘em to your tray
on your back table. I staple
silks to a towel under my
initial towel on my Mayo.
Dave Hackett
For 18-
inch ties, I just use the
Mayo stand with the open-
ing toward the field. With
the 30-inch ties, I use a
tri-folded towel book.
Marla Davis
I have to
have them on my Mayo but
I use a label to keep them
in place.
Saria Ortega
I put them
in the folds of a towel.
Alisa Parsegyan
I leave
them in the package and
stick them under the Mayo
stand tray. Lift it up just
enough to insert the packet
and when needed, just pull
one stand out. When drap-
ing the Mayo, you have to
leave a little slack on one
side for this to work.
Scott Paulsen
Blue
folded towel open one fold
to make it long then use the
folds to separate each group
of ties. Fold one 0 fold 2 2-0
and so on. You can only put
4. One group goes under
the whole folded towel.
Jennifer Bullamore
Gonzale
z Make a tiny
hole in your towel on the
Mayo. Like on the top. Then
grab the tails that are out of
the package and pull them
through from the bottom so
just the little tails are com-
ing through the hole so you
can grab them quickly.
Kelly Riley-Calla-
way
Fan them out like a
hand of cards and put a
sharp towel clip through
them.
Joe Barnard
On big
cases I put them on the
Mayo on a towel then throw
a staple over them (CARE-
FULLY) to keep them or-
ganized. Then put another
towel over to set up on.
Chris Gomez
Towel off
Mayo stand then lay out
one towel, folded in half,
on top of Mayo ... this al-
lows you to slide ties under
the folded towel without
disturbing your instru-
ments and easy exchange if
you need more ties later.
Raven Ashley Weiss
I leave them in the package
and tuck the package under
the towel on my Mayo. I
keep a towel roll in the
middle and 2-0 ties/pops on
the left and 3-0 ties/pops on
the right of the towel roll. I
tear the suture box in half
and keep the needle may
on my Mayo for the pop off
needles and the magnet
part on my table. Reels and
protected blades go in the
magnet part of the box.
Jen Lauderback
I fan
them out in their packages
and clip the apex of the
fan with a sharp towel clip.
That way I can hold them
all at once.
Jen Spitzer
Froeber
Place them
under a towel on the Mayo.
Keep them folded in half,
line them up by size 0, 2-0,
3-0, etc.
Crystal Blu Purrsua-
sion
I put them under a
towel on my Mayo, and put
a staple around them with
about an inch sticking out.
Alysha Rivera Cutts
I notice in small hospitals
there’s no way to keep them
neat. In teaching hospitals,
you have huge cases, so
I’d use lots of towels for
various reasons on my Mayo
tray. The extra towels added
lots of weight and always
kept them nice and neat.
Truman Hare
Roll towel
or in between the x-drape
and towel.
Amanda Oldenburg
Suture book with S towel.
Heather Hetherton
Anderson
Roll them in
a blue HT and label 2.0 or
3.0 whatever they are on
the ends.
Elizabeth Harmon
For
C-sections, we usually cut
plain ties into 1/4 segments
for tubals. I will do this,
then take a Hemostat and
clamp the last cm on the
end to secure. When ready
to use, I just grab from
the basket handle where
they have been sitting, and
bring up to my Mayo. Then
I am ready to put on a pass
if requested.
David Kirk Dickson
I put them in a towel and
use a skin stapler to bridge
over each size. Works great
for keeping them neat.
Nicole Coletta
Leave
them in the packet. Use a
Kocher or Kelly, whichever
one you’re not using during
the procedure and clamp
them in order of size.
Marilyn Yi
I do a lot if
vascular, I open pack, take
a Crile, clip it to the pack
and put the handle part
under my instrument pan.
Works great and is weighed
down and held in place!
Paige Pridgen
I clamp
the very teenie-weenie
edge of the package to the
drape, (like for a carotid or
thyroid) the Dr can reach it
too if I got my hands full.
Tips & Tricks
Advice from veterans on making your
role in the OR a bit easier.
