First Case

PATOS starts in the operative note.

For OR teams, this is one of those documentation details that can make a big difference in SSI surveillance.

PATOS means infection or contamination was present at the time of surgery.

That means what the surgeon sees when they enter the operative field matters.

Examples that may raise a PATOS flag:
“Purulent fluid encountered upon entry.”
“Contamination present on initial exploration.”
“Abscess noted at the start of the procedure.”

Clear intraoperative documentation helps Infection Prevention accurately interpret SSI events and understand what was already present versus what may have developed after surgery.

For OR nurses and surgical technologists, the takeaway is simple:

What is seen, said, and documented in the room can directly impact SSI review.

"In era of bloodletting and imbalances of the four humors, John Hunter (1728–1793) challenged tradition and defined surgical scholarship. He introduced the modern approach to surgery:

Begin with a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology, meticulously observe the symptoms of disease in a living patient and post-mortem findings of those that died of it, then, on the basis of the comparison, propose an improvement in treatment, test it in animal experiments, and try the procedure on humans. He used the approach with success to treat popliteal artery aneurysm with ligation of the superficial femoral artery in 1785. The site of his operation, the adductor canal, is one of a handful of anatomic structures better known by
its eponym." (Source: https://educate.beyondclean.net/4scXuq6 )

Dr. Hunter was a very distinguished scientist and surgeon, and as the quote states, he is credited with the modern approach to surgery. During his lifetime of study and discovery, he didn't get everything right - he claimed to have proved that gonorrhea and syphilis were caused by the same pathogen, for instance.

However, his work helped us to understand human teeth, bone growth and remodeling, inflammation, gunshot wounds, venereal disease, digestion, child development, the separation of maternal and fetal blood supply, and the role of the lymphatic system. He also carried out the first recorded artificial insemination.

There was a significant amount of scandal and intrigue that occurred after his death due to the jealousy of his brother-in-law, Dr. Everard Home, the younger brother of Hunter’s wife. And despite his renown and fame, Dr. Hunter's death left his wife and children nearly penniless.

Read more about him in this article from the American College of Surgeons! https://educate.beyondclean.net/4scXuq6