Bullshit Rules

I know the rules. The rule in surgery, your hands should never slip below your waist. Everything below the table level is considered "unsterile". Once your hands enter that area, they should never be brought back into the sterile field.

So when I lowered my hands to adjust my lead apron, hands at belly button level, technically I was in violation. I was careful to keep my hands in front and not below table level or my waist. One of my esteemed anal retentive, subversive, passive-aggressive colleagues (an oxymoron) pointed out to the entire OR my faux pas.

But in our world, it's a moot point, filled with inaccuracies and frank bullshit. We sit and stand regularly in the OR bringing our entire torsos to nipple level below the table and pop back up again...regularly, with impunity.

Some things are just bullshit. In this case, not sure if it's the rule without evidence or the colleague without discretion or sense. It's likely a commentary on more broad issues in the world of medicine, pseudo teamwork, inexplainable rule without evidence and ego than contamination.

I changed my gown and gloves without saying a word.