STERILE PROCESSING
time to properly process or review the manufacturer’s instruc- tions for use (IFU).3
Prior to joining Case Medical as a Clinical Specialist, Tonya Mochin served as a CS/SPD Manager for Penn State Hersey Medical Center in Hershey, Penn., and Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, Penn., where she struggled with holes in wrapped loaner trays. As Mochin explains, this created unnecessary operating room (OR) delays and extra work for the staff
“Loaners come into facilities with only a brief time to process. The loaners we wrapped were heavy and a challenge ergonomi- cally as there are no handles for lifting. Further, they need to be transported in multiple case carts because wrapped trays cannot be stacked. Then, if there is a puncture or tear, it now requires reprocessing. t the time flashing was used too freuently, which is not recommended for implant trays.” To protect the integrity of steril- ized loaner trays, Mochin spear- headed an effort to move from wrapped sets to sealed con- tainers at both Penn State Hersey Medical Center and Geisinger Community Medical enter. er contribution was two-fold ( developing a justifi- cation to sterilize loaners in sealed containers and (2) listening to the customer’s voice to reduce processing times and delays with loaners.
Case Medical Loaner Trays
As a result of Mochin’s efforts, both healthcare facilities made the decision to switch to SteriTite sealed containers, which are American made, compatible with all devices that can be steril- ized, dry very quickly in steam sterilization, and DIN sized to accommodate DIN sized trays.
“My staff found it far easier to drop loaner trays into contain- ers than wrap,” said Mochin. “The dimensions of the SteriTite container (width and length were a perfect fit for the loaner trays. In some cases where the tray system was too wide for the container, we removed the wrappable outer case and lid and used the inner trays only within the SteriTite container or placed some items in an instrument basket for proper fit. Mochin and her team established a “lending library or loaner
bank” on the clean side of their department to store the SteriTite containers for when loaner trays arrive. he results happy staff and well-functioning department, greater process efficiency and better service to the customer the OR team.
“With no more tears or punctures, the staff was very happy that sets were now in use and not returned for reprocessing,” said Mochin. “OR delays were no longer caused by reprocessing delays. We were able to reduce sterilization times, because the containerized sets were now dry in less than 10 minutes. We eliminated flashing or so we could provide the same level of care to all patients.”
er advice to other teams “My advice is to transition to sealed containers. Demonstrate
how sterilization containers can save time and money over wrapped items. This will reduce stress, turnaround time, increase surgeon satisfaction, and contribute to the bottom line. While loaners are not hospital property, placing them in containers may in the end show the greatest savings to the facility, as one container can be used frequently for any set coming in and out of the facility. More turns, more value.”
provided guidance around reprocessing instructions for reusable medical devices, which includes robotic surgical instruments. This FDA guidance outlined requirements for manufacturers of washerdisinfectors to validate reprocessing instructions, specifi- cally when indicating them for use with reusable medical devices, such as with da Vinci EndoWrist instruments. “The only reprocessing option was to process da Vinci EndoWrist Instruments using a labor and time intensive manual process,” said Sarah Brown, Senior Product Manager, STERIS. “Customers sought out Intuitive and STERIS asking for a solution that auto- mated the cleaning process for these complex devices. STERIS and Intuitive worked together to help simplify the automated clean- ing process, creating easy-to-follow instructions that help create cleaning outcomes consistent with the manual cleaning process.” They added a RAS (Robotic Assisted Surgery) cycle and racks to
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the AMSCO 7000HP washer/disinfectors to help facilities reduce the soak time and completely eliminate ultrasonic cleaning for select devices. The process reduces the number of manual steps at the sink for cleaning select da Vinci EndoWrist devices by using the 7000HP washer/disinfectors and RAS cycle and Racks to clean da Vinci EndoWrist devices.
“We have seen many customers adopt the use of the RAS Racks and Cycle and transform their process for cleaning da Vinci EndoWrist instruments,” said Brown. “They are able to reduce total processing time without sacrificing consistent clean- ing outcomes.”
One customer using the AMSCO 7000HP washer/disinfectors with RAS racks and cycle is Memorial Hospital, Jasper, Ind. Toni Cibak, CST, CRCST, the hospital’s Sterile Processing Manager comments on the benefits “Our STERIS 7053HP Washer/Disinfector with RAS cycle
has been a game changer. The RAS cycle that washes da Vinci [EndoWrist] instruments saves us time. Previously, we had to wash them in our ultrasonic and then washer to clean them. Now we have a special rack and cycle to do the same thing. It saves us steps and time.”
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Off-site sterile processing serves multiple hospitals with increased accuracy and efficiency
Space is often at a premium for healthcare facilities based
in urban areas. With surgical volumes growing along with the number of instruments and devices that must be reprocessed, it can be a tight squeeze to include a large enough CS/SPD depart- ment to meet a hospital’s needs.
A major metropolitan hospital system on the East Coast was in the process of designing a new hospital in the city center,
34 September 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com
Automating robotic surgical instrument reprocessing drives efficiency and consistency In 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
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