What’s it Like Being a Surgical Tech Working in a Delivery Room?

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Babies are the greatest showstopper of all time. They are cuddly, cute, and in many ways, delightful. But, from the mother’s standpoint, there is a tedious process, which must be completed in order to bring these cute little creatures into the world. A surgical tech that works in the hospital delivery room is reminded every day of the miracle of giving birth and what this phenomenon requires.

First Thing

When the expectant mother arrives, there must be an extensive assessment to determine what stage of labor to which she has actually progressed. The surgical tech obtains and documents vital signs of the patient and newborn, before, during, and after delivery. There will be conversation between the physician, nurses, anesthesiologist, and surgical tech about a plan of action for each specific patient and her specific needs.

The first thing that needs to be done by the surgical tech is to access the physician’s preference card or notes for his or her particular instruments and suture regimen. Each physician has his or her quirks and preferences about surgical procedures and delivering babies is no exception.

Most often, the delivery room is already set up for vaginal deliveries. There may also be a specific “C-Section” room that has everything needed to perform this procedure emergently, if needed. As subsequent patients are laboring, the surgical tech will plan each procedure accordingly by checking off supplies as they are gathered and placed on carts or spread around on the furniture in the delivery room.

The Baby is Coming

When the nurse detects that the labor cycle is “complete,” the mother who is about to give birth vaginally, is brought to the delivery room and positioned on the delivery table and made ready for the physician. The surgical tech is responsible for suctioning blood and amniotic fluids. A bulb syringe is passed to the physician who immediately turns the baby for access and suctions out the nasal passages to prevent aspiration.

As the baby is delivered through the birth canal, the umbilical cord is double clamped and cut in order to separate baby from mama. The baby is handed off to the pediatrician or pediatric nurse and all attention in the delivery field goes back to the mother. At this point, the placenta should be delivered. Once the baby is free from the field, some cord blood should be collected into one or two test tubes that are opened onto the sterile field. The surgical tech will collect the blood from the placental clamp and hand the tubes off to the nurse, who will send them to the laboratory for routine lab tests.

If suture is needed, it is the surgical tech’s responsibility to pass the suture to the physician and cut it once the knot is tied. The surgical tech will clean the patient with a soft moist sponge and help reposition her to move back onto the gurney and she will then be sent to post-partum unit.

C-Section

If the mother fails to progress naturally, or there are predetermined risks for vaginal delivery, a Cesarean Section may be performed. This actually involves an abdominal surgical incision. The surgical technologist is responsible to gather supplies and equipment to make this procedure advance as smoothly as possible. Passing and counting all instruments and sponges must be done in a great hurry since all eyes and attention should remain on the baby throughout the procedure. These counts are extremely important because there is a lot of activity, and large incision, and lots of blood and amniotic fluid flowing. Again, sponging the wound, passing suture, and suctioning are of utmost importance.

The Finale

No matter how careful the delivery is conducted, all babies are messy. The scrub tech will clear the instruments and sponges, dispose of all sharps, and deposit all contaminated instruments in the appropriate receiving area. Often times, labor and delivery units have their own central sterile area, and the scrub tech may be responsible for processing instruments as well.