Sec. 19a-903a. Circulating nurses in hospitals and outpatient surgical facilities.

(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Circulating nurse” means a registered nurse licensed under chapter 378 who is educated, trained or experienced in perioperative nursing and who is responsible for coordinating the nursing care and safety needs of a patient in an operating room;

(2) “Outpatient surgical facility” has the same meaning as provided in subsection (a) of section 19a-493b; and

(3) “Perioperative nursing” means nursing services that are provided to patients during the preoperative, intraoperative and immediate postoperative periods of a surgical procedure.

(b) Any hospital or outpatient surgical facility shall ensure that a circulating nurse is assigned to, and present for the duration of, each surgical procedure performed in an operating room of such hospital or outpatient surgical facility. While assigned to a surgical procedure, no hospital or outpatient surgical facility shall assign a circulating nurse to another procedure that is scheduled to occur concurrently or that may overlap in time with the originally assigned surgical procedure. A circulating nurse assigned to a surgical procedure shall be present for the duration of the procedure unless it becomes necessary for the nurse to leave the operating room as part of the procedure or the nurse is relieved by another circulating nurse.

(P.A. 10-117, S. 73.)