Manual for Male Circumcision under Local Anaesthesia

Male circumcision under local anaesthesia
Version 3.1 (Dec09)
• Dry the hands and arms with a sterile towel. Make sure the
towel does not become contaminated by coming into contact
with non-sterile surfaces.
• Hold your hands and forearms away from your body and
higher than your elbows until you have put on the gloves (or
gown and gloves, if gown is used) (Fig. 4.3).
Surgical scrub with an alcohol-based preparation
• Start timing.
• Use sufficient alcohol hand rub to keep the hands and
forearms wet throughout the scrub.
• Rub each side of each finger, between fingers, the back
and front of each hand, and each side of the arms from
wrist to elbow.
• Allow hands and forearms to dry thoroughly.
After scrubbing, put on sterile operating gloves, taking care not
to contaminate the sterile outer surface of the gloves (Fig. 4.3).
Fig. 4.3 Putting on surgical gloves
Surgical gloves prevent transmission of HIV, hepatitis and
other infections through contact with blood. However, there is
always a possibility that a glove will be accidentally punctured.
If this happens during an operation, promptly remove the glove,
rinse the hand with antiseptic, and put on a new sterile glove. If
the glove has leaked as a result of the puncture, re-scrub
before putting on new gloves. Patient safety is of primary
concern; do not compromise it. Change gloves only when it is
safe for the patient. For example, if the patient is bleeding a lot,
Facilities and supplies and preparation for surgery Chapter 4-9