Surgical Assistance in District of Columbia

Surgical Assistants are trained healthcare providers that work close with physician assistants in different aspects of health care. However, the primary duty of the assistant is to help the surgical physician and to reduce his overall workload. The main role of the surgical assistant is to provide support to a surgeon during operations. They also may have duties to perform both before and after surgery.

If in the composition brigade includes two assistant, one of them is designated the first, and the other - the second. The objective of the first assistant - active assistance to the surgeon, and he owns a large share of independence. The objective of the second, as a rule, are retention of hooks and mirrors, expansion the wound, drying of surgical field, cutting the threads.

Duties of the Surgical Assistant

• The surgeon shall convey the exact position that will give the best exposure for the surgical procedure. Consideration will be given to the patient’s comfort and safety;
• Providing visualization of the operative site (Appropriate placement and securing of retractors with or without padding, Suctioning, irrigating, or sponging, Packing with sponges, Digital manipulation of tissue, Manipulation of suture materials);
• Utilizing appropriate techniques to assist with hemostasis (Clamping and cauterizing vessels or tissue,Tying clamped vessels or tissue, placing local hemostatic agents, Applying direct digital pressure);
• Participating in volume replacement or autotransfusion techniques as appropriate;
• Utilizing appropriate techniques to assist with closure of body planes;
• Utilizing running or interrupted sutures with absorbable or nonabsorbable material of wound layers, including muscle and fascia, Postoperative subcutaneous injection of local anesthetic per surgeon’s directive;
• Selecting and applying appropriate wound dressings;
• Providing assistance in securing drainage systems to tissue.