AORN OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Happy New Year! It is for Chapter 3001: Our membership is up, participation at meetings is up, hospitals hosting our weekend meetings have increased and we have a full slate of delegates attending AORN Congress in Orlando , FL in March. They are: Joyce Hurd from APD (chair), Linda Thompson from DHMC, Monte Murphy from APD and Donna Barber from the VA in White River Junction. Congratulations to all and a special kudos to Donna as she is a first time delegate. What a great way to become familiar with our organization and our practice in the Operating Room! We, the board, have decided to also make a financial contribution to first time attendees to Congress, starting this year. We will pay $100 if you complete the questionnaire and have registered for Congress. How great is that!? These are some of the new and innovating ways we want to support our chapter members. Sharing and caring is what OR nurses do best and we as your representatives want you to know we share your commitment to your profession and we care about your well being and future as an OR nurse.

Thank you for your dedication.

Respectfully,

Roanne

MEETINGS AND EVENTS:

March 11-15 2007: AORN Congress. Orlando FL
March 31 2007: “Perioperative Pain Management” Cheshire Medical Hospital , Keene NH
May 5 2007: Topic TBA. Concord Hospital Concord NH .

Malignant Hyperthermia

Regional Blocks

Hypothermia

On Saturday November 4, 2006 we had the opportunity to refresh our knowledge about malignant hyperthermia, a rare but deadly syndrome which is induced by pharmacologic agents in almost all cases. Ruth Ticknor CRNA led us through the signs and symptoms of this syndrome and reviewed the treatment of an MH crisis. Jon Bennett CRNA led us through the various types of regional blocks, from interscalene to axillary, femoral to ankle. He reviewed the complications of these blocks, as well as why these blocks are so effective in reducing pain, lowering stress hormones and likely allowing for earlier discharge. A packet of information was also available on hypothermia.

There were 10 participants.

Thanks to Betty Fields for organizing this event as well as to the speakers Ruth Ticknor and Jon Bennett.

How do you get to be a delegate to AORN Congress?

Chapter 3001 uses a point system to determine who will represent the chapter at Congress in 2007. Last year each delegate received $300 from the chapter to help with the expenses of traveling to Congress. This year our chapter will seat 4 delegates to the AORN Congress in Orlando . You can accumulate points by:

· Attending chapter meetings

· Attending educational offerings

· Playing an active role in your chapter

Want to go to AORN Congress but are a little short on funds? Apply for a grant!

2007 Congress Education Grants The AORN Foundation is offering grants for staff nurses and OR managers to attend AORN’s 54th Annual Congress in Orlando, FL . Funding for these grants is made possible by a generous donation from the Integra Foundation. Visit http://www.aorn.org/foundation/grants.asp

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:

Applications, including essays and forms, must be typed and mailed to the Foundation office. Faxed or electronically transmitted documents will not be accepted.
Deadline to apply is February 9, 2007.
Only winners will be notified by February 16, 2007.
Grant winners will pick up their checks at the Foundation booth in the Resource Pavilion at the 2007 Congress in Orlando .
2006 Congress grant winners are not eligible to apply for these grants.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CHAPTER BUSINESS MEETING 11/4/06

7 members were present
Chapter 3001 will seat 4 delegates to AORN Congress in March; headquarters will send $150 to the chapter for each delegate registered by February 9. We will select delegates in January.
The AORN Foundation has invited all chapters to participate in the 2006 Chapter Challenge by contributing a minimum of $1 per member to the Foundation. We voted to meet the challenge and contribute $110 from our treasury to the Foundation.
Calendar of meetings and events was discussed
The treasurer’s report indicated we collected $100 today in fees for the conference. Finances continue to be in good shape. Sweet Feet were not available for sale at this meeting.
Perioperative Nurse’s Week is November 12-18; DHMC is planning an open house event.
Congress grants are available through the AORN Foundation.
Emailing of the chapter newsletter and educational flyers continues to be an economic success; only 8 October newsletters had to be snail-mailed. Email is saving the Chapter time and money.
Discussion concerning how best to share the info discussed at the business meeting; after exploring several options we agreed to keep it in the present format (i.e. exactly how you are reading it now).
Discussion about how to support 1^st time attendees to AORN Congress. A memo will be sent to all members to find those lucky few; each will be given a financial boost (likely $100) to attend Congress the 1^st time.
Ruth Ticknor, one of our speakers of the day, was the lucky winner of the 50/50 drawing. She collected $13 and the remaining sum went to our Chapter treasury. Congratulations Ruth!

Perioperative Pain Management

· March 31 2007 at Cheshire Medical Center, Keene NH

· $10 per person at the door

· CEU's offered

· Registration begins at 8:30am, program 9am-noon

· Refreshments will be provided

· Chapter business meeting begins at noon

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Member Type	Count
Standard Member	103
Retired Member	3
Associate Member	1
Facility Member - 1 Year	1

Total Members	108

Do airport x-rays affect medications?

Most medications are not affected by the low doses of radiation emitted by airport screening machines, even if they’re exposed several times in a trip. Certain drugs called “biologics” which include insulin and red blood-cell boosters such as epoetin alfa injection (Epogen, Procrit and others) require special handling and storage; travelers sometimes worry about putting them through the x-ray machine. But according to the FDA’s Center for Biologics, any harmful effects from x-rays on these medications would occur only at doses that are “orders of magnitude higher” than the radiation received from x-ray screening devices.

If a drug’s effectiveness or safety could be affected by airport x-ray screening, the danger would be indicated on the label or package insert. The FDA, which oversees labeling, says it “knows of no drugs that have special instructions in the labeling to avoid airport x-ray machines”. If you are still concerned, you can call the manufacturer of each of your medications.