# Eliminating Cross-Contamination in Operating Room

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eliminating-cross-contamination-in-operating-room/835932>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 23, 2019, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eliminating-cross-contamination-in-operating-room/835932 "2019-06-23T16:05:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eliminating-cross-contamination-in-operating-room/835932/21 "2019-06-27T20:32:07Z")

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I’ve known people whose operations are recorded by the staff as a matter of routine. Camera up amongst the lights.

The idea that no surgeon, etc. would allow a camera in an operating room is … quaint.

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**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eliminating-cross-contamination-in-operating-room/835932/22 "2019-06-27T21:45:41Z")

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There’s a big difference between the hospital routinely filming surgeries and the patient wanting to do so once. Also, as you said, the routine filming is done using an overhead camera. The OP talked about one sitting in a corner of the room.

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**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eliminating-cross-contamination-in-operating-room/835932/23 "2019-06-27T21:56:46Z")

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> [@ftg](#):
>
> I’ve known people whose operations are recorded by the staff as a matter of routine. Camera up amongst the lights.
> 
> The idea that no surgeon, etc. would allow a camera in an operating room is … quaint.

Since I work in an operating room on a daily basis, and have done so over the last 7 years in over a dozen hospitals, I will maintain my quaint opinion.

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**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eliminating-cross-contamination-in-operating-room/835932/24 "2019-06-28T19:42:01Z")

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> [@brad\_d](#):
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> Speaking of decontamination: I was slightly surprised when, on their direction, I went from child to child cutting umbilical cords with the same pair of cutters. No washing, no wiping - just me circling the area with increasingly bloody giant scissors. Kinda Sweeney Todd-ish. 🙂

Up until about 30 seconds earlier, they all shared the same blood connection with mom.

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**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eliminating-cross-contamination-in-operating-room/835932/25 "2019-06-28T20:21:34Z")

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> [@brad\_d](#):
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> I took pictures during the C-section birth of our triplets with my own phone.

Were these identical triplets? Because I wonder how (and how soon after birth?) they mark them so you don’t mix them up. I remember a later episode of My Three Sons in which that was a plot point.

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