TOURNIQUET PRACTICES IN ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY: A QUESTIONNAIRE BASED STUDY

Tourniquet Practices

Abstract

Objective: To assess the level of understanding of operation room personnel for application of tourniquets.
Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the department of Surgery, Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi, from Feb 2013 to Jun 2013.
Material and Methods: A previously published questionnaire form with slight modifications was distributed among orthopaedic/plastic/general surgery/anaesthesia operation room staff. The questionnaire comprised 26 questions with total of 56 marks. The answers were taken from the individuals on the spot and forms were marked according to the marking scheme and total score of each individual was recorded. The experience of each individual in his respective specialty was also documented (In years). The individuals were categorized into their respective specialties. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21. Mean and SD of numerical variables was calculated and frequency and percentages were presented for categorical variables. Results: Fifty six individuals answering all 26 questions from the questionnaire were included in the study. Out of 56 individuals, 6 (11%) were orthopaedic surgeons, 4 (7%) were plastic surgeons, 14 (25%) were general surgeons, 19 (34%) were registrars in surgery, 5 (9%) were registrars in anaesthesia and 8 (14%) were operation room assistants. The mean score of all the participants was 25.1 (± 4.1) out of 56 with minimum of 17 to maximum of 35.
Conclusion: The role of tourniquet in the field of orthopaedic surgery has become very significant. As there is no formal teaching to the trainees about its use, there is a need to incorporate its training at the practical level during training.