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Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.
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Obtain or inspect sterile or non-sterile surgical equipment, instruments, or supplies.
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Discuss with surgeon the nature of the surgical procedure, including operative consent, methods of operative exposure, diagnostic or laboratory data, or patient-advanced directives or other needs.
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Assist in volume replacement or autotransfusion techniques.
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Operate sterilizing devices.
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Apply sutures, staples, clips, or other materials to close skin, facia, or subcutaneous wound layers.
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Assist with patient resuscitation during cardiac arrest or other life-threatening events.
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Pass instruments or supplies to surgeon during procedure.
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Determine availability of necessary equipment or supplies for operative procedures.
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Gather, arrange, or assemble instruments or supplies.
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Remove patient hair or disinfect incision sites to prepare patient for surgery.
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Assist in applying casts, splints, braces, or similar devices.
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Assess skin integrity or other body conditions upon completion of the procedure to determine if damage has occurred from body positioning.
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Verify the identity of patient or operative site.
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Clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment.
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Prepare and apply sterile wound dressings.
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Insert or remove urinary bladder catheters.
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Coordinate or participate in the positioning of patients, using body stabilizing equipment or protective padding to provide appropriate exposure for the procedure or to protect against nerve damage or circulation impairment.
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Monitor patient intra-operative status, including patient position, vital signs, or volume and color of blood.
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Transport patients to operating room.
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Adjust and maintain operating room temperature, humidity, or lighting, according to surgeon's specifications.
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Coordinate with anesthesia personnel to maintain patient temperature.
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Assist members of surgical team with gowning or gloving.
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Incise tissue layers in lower extremities to harvest veins.
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Assist in the insertion, positioning, or suturing of closed-wound drainage systems.
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Postoperatively inject a subcutaneous local anesthetic agent to reduce pain.
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Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.
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Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field.