Regardless of the role, setting, and department you work in, if you work in the medical field in any patient care capacity, you already know that there are a few things that no medical professional can function without — a working pen, a trusty stethoscope, and quality lubricating jelly, just to name a few. The purpose of surgical lubricant is to reduce friction that causes discomfort in any procedure where something is inserted into a body orifice. Not only does this make the job of the medical professional much easier and safer, it also helps to increase patient comfort and decrease their anxiety. Here, we will discuss a few of the practical uses of Surgilube®. But, don’t take our word for it, we will let the medical professionals who use it in the field regularly tell you.

Inserting a Foley Catheter

Rachel – ICU Registered Nurse – El Paso, TX

“As an ICU nurse, most of my patients are either unconscious or unable to move about freely. Monitoring intake and output is critical and preventing skin breakdown is paramount. For these reasons, it is not uncommon for most or all of our patients to have a Foley catheter. Insertion of the Foley catheter is a routine part of our care. Sometimes patients come to us directly from the OR and already have one placed, which is nice, but, oftentimes it is my responsibility. Surgilube® surgical lubricant single-use packets certainly make this job easier for me and more comfortable for my patients. Even when they are unconscious, we do our best to talk them through any procedure and limit their pain. Surgilube®’s bacteriostatic lube helps me be confident that my patient is getting the best care possible and helps me quickly perform uncomfortable tasks. It’s the lubricant I would recommend my own family use, and it’s what I prefer to use on my patients.”

Nasopharyngeal Airway Placement

Julie B. – EMT- Paramedic – Tulsa, OK

“As an EMT in the field, there is a continual ongoing debate about whether an OPA [oropharyngeal airway] is superior to an NPA [nasopharyngeal airway], but I prefer to use NPAs in my rig. Mostly because they are more comfortable, even for the conscious patient who has a gag reflex intact. I’ve learned over the years that the importance of the surgical lubricant to place the NPA cannot be understated! It makes placing the NPA much quicker for me and less traumatic for my patients. I make sure my guys tape a packet of Surgilube® to every NPA pack.”

Prostate Exam

Joseph – Family Practice Physician’s Assistant – Chicago, IL

“One of the most important preventative screening procedures I conduct in our practice is a prostate exam. However, because of the nature of this test, many men are anxious and don’t easily relax. We keep Surgilube® lubricant in all of our exam rooms to help make procedures like the prostate exam more comfortable. It helps prevent rectal trauma and helps the procedure be much more tolerable for patients. I would never perform a prostate exam, or any sort of rectal procedure, without it!”

Vaginal Exam/Ultrasound

Kelly R. – OB/GYN Midwife – Houston, TX

“My colleagues and I are huge fans of HR Pharmaceutical products in general! We spend our days examining vaginas, cervixes, and rectal cavities, and performing vaginal and abdominal ultrasounds. Not a patient comes into my exam room that doesn’t benefit from the features of one of these products! We stock Surgilube® lubricating jelly as a multi-purpose tool and we are big fans of the new EcoVue® Ultrasound Gel. We wouldn’t carry anything else.”

Suppository Insertion

Brad – Med/Surg Registered Nurse – Minneapolis, MN

“As a med-surg nurse, I could name a hundred tasks I do that require high-quality lubricant! However, I think the one that I perform the most often, nearly every day, is suppository insertion. Many of my patients are less than excited when I tell them I have a pill for them, that we have to insert rectally [or vaginally] rather than swallowing! Surgilube® helps me make my case a little easier when I promise superior gliding power to reduce discomfort — and it hasn’t made a liar out of me yet!”

Colonoscopy

Forest P. – Gastroenterologist – Philadelphia, PA

“Unfortunately, my job involves something that most people spend their lives trying to avoid — a colonoscopy! I can definitely sympathize and understand why there is so much anxiety involved, but my team and I do our very best to help reduce the fears and reduce the discomfort our patients experience. I don’t think that there is a way to eliminate the discomfort associated with a camera exploring a person’s rectal cavity, but the bowel clearing prescription medication and the surgical lubricant we use makes a world of difference. Surgilube® Surgical Lubricant provides a viscosity that helps protect the bowel lining while it provides a smoother, more comfortable experience for the patient without obstructing the view of my scope!”

Digital Disimpaction

Renee – Geriatric Registered Nurse – Windsor, CO

“In geriatrics, we deal with a great amount of constipation and fecal impaction. Although we do use proper diet, diet supplements, and stool softeners and laxatives to help prevent and treat these conditions, the slowed metabolism, physical inactivity, and medications that many of our elderly patients take do not help support a healthy bowel system and results in uncomfortable situations. Part of our jobs as their nurse is to monitor their output, bowel habits, and constipation status. There are several long-term patients who require regular disimpaction. Surgilube® Surgical Lubricant not only helps to get my gloved hand inside their rectum but also helps the cement-like blockage slide out that much easier. “

Rectal Temperature

Amy – Neonatal Nurse – Chattanooga, TN

“Rectal temperatures are not a routine part of care, we use skin probes taped to the neonate’s belly and can spot check with a regular axillary probe. However, if the baby’s temperature is out of normal expected range, we do take a core temperature using a rectal thermometer. We keep single-use packets of Surgilube® with all of the rectal thermometers. The lubricant helps the thermometer easily enter the baby’s rectum without causing trauma to the colon or changing the temperature reading. We only use the best products for our sick babies.”

Nasogastric Feeding Tube Insertion

Alex – ED Registered Nurse – Rochester, NY

“In our emergency department, we insert a fairly wide range of tubes into our patients for a variety of reasons. One of those procedures is inserting a nasogastric tube. We use it to pump stomachs, collect samples, decompress the abdomen, and gastric suctioning. I make sure to liberally lubricate the tube before attempting to insert it into someone’s nose. This helps it glide into the nasal cavity and down the esophagus and into the stomach easily, like a cooked spaghetti noodle. Surgilube® Surgical Lubricant is the perfect product for the job!”

Mickey Button Insertion

Cynthianne – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Reno, NV

“We take care of all the sick kiddos who have a variety of medical issues. One that is fairly common is some form of medical condition that limits or prevents them from eating and requires a gastric port for feeding. These Mickey buttons get displaced more frequently than I would like, but you can’t expect a toddler to not mess with it or bump it at some point. To help get the port repositioned easily, without causing uncomfortable friction at the stoma site, we trust Surgilube® to help our kids tolerate the procedure a little better.”

Rectal Tube Placement

Allison – Rehabilitation Registered Nurse – Seminole, FL

“Rectal tube placement is not a routine part of patient care at the rehab I work at. But, sometimes you have that guy who is so severely compromised and his detox is medically dangerous. The high level of toxins, combined with mental compromise, and the use of large doses of lactulose to remove toxins from the body and help reverse overdose can lead to a very messy situation. In these instances, we will use a rectal tube for patient safety. Even though the tubes are pliable and insert easily, the use of lubricating jelly helps immensely! It makes the procedure more comfortable for the patient, which results in less combativeness, and it makes the insertion so much quicker and smoother!”

At HR Pharmaceuticals, our mission is to provide high-quality products that improve patient safety and comfort and allow medical professionals to more effectively do their job. We manufacture our products to be the best medical-grade lubricants available on the market. If you already experience the benefits of our products, contact us to let us know about it. And, if you haven’t tried our products yet, browse our entire line of quality surgical lubricants, lubricating jellies, and ultrasound gels today!