How to Free Drape a limb for an Orthopedic Procedure

Free draping a limb is a must when doing an orthopedic procedure or a soft tissue surgery on a limb. Free draping is not complicated but it does require the help of an assistant and a bit of forward thinking.

There are many different ways of doing same thing, so the technique I use can be modified to suit you needs. The key factors to adhere to are: 

1) fully cover the patient and operating table; 

2) ensure that the distal portion of the limb is completely and securely sterilely wrapped; 

3) the sterile drapes previously positioned around the patient are also secure and do not become contaminated during the free draping process; 

4) that the non-sterile assistant understands his/her role and is careful not to contaminate the surgeon or drapes.