Sterilization

Surgical count sheets are extremely important in ensuring that no foreign bodies are left within the body during and after surgery. And for many decades, these paper products have been placed inside wrapped surgical sets and rigid surgical containers - until now.

After some research was conducted, it revealed that surgical count sheets under the extreme  heat of steam sterilization emit fine paper and carcinogenic ink particles. These deadly fine particles cling on surgical instrument lumens, crevices, sharp edges and clog the pores of surgical implants.

The result is; surgical site infections, aseptic loosening of surgical implants, unexplained chronic pain after surgery, cardiac arrest and other costly surgical complications. Therefore, the consortium of sterile sciences recommend that each sterile processing department embrace the use of surgical count sheet holders to isolate surgical count sheets from surgical sets.

On assignment recently, I noticed that our technicians cross and overlap sterrad tape on wrapped surgical trays. Please, avoid this practice. Reason: hydrogen peroxide gas is in lay man's terms not strong enough to penetrate the thickness of double layered sterrad indicator tape.

If this is your policy, please revise your policy and stop the practice, since that could be putting your patients at risk. Remember policy and practice must match at all times to insure consistency in the timely delivery of clean, sterile and functional surgical instruments.

Contact your manufacturer for details, should need be.