Surgical Sterilization

Pathology waste should not be mixed with regular laboratory-generated medical waste. Sharps must not be placed directly into medical waste bags. Secondary containers must be leak-proof, have rigid walls, and have a securable lid. Secondary containers must be labeled with the biohazard symbol and the word Biohazard on the lid and on the sides, so that the label is visible from any lateral view.

Has anyone ever considered how medical devices are prepared before a surgical procedure? Central Sterile Processing Department (CSPD) consists of services within the Hospital, in which reusable medical devices will be cleaned, prepared, and processed. The role for CSPD is to prevent infection transmitted by usage of medical devices. The procedure for hospital medical devices before surgery has a four part workflow process in: Decontamination, to Instrumentation, to Sterilization and Sterile Storage (Case Carts). An example is given for reprocessing an Intestinal Set and the supplies needed for the preparation of this medical device set.

Dr. Spaulding created a classification system to distinguish which items are critical, semi-critical, and non-critical according to the risk of the procedure. Some critical or high-risk items are items that can be inserted into a sterile body cavity and/or tissue during surgery. The probe should be sterilized before the procedure and sterile gel is to be used. A sterile probe cover may also be used. Objects that are used on mucous membranes are considered semi-critical such as a trans-vaginal ultrasound probe. Sterile water may be used when a probe is used in a biopsy procedure. High-level disinfectants are recommended for procedures that are involved within the body. Objects used on intact skin, such as the torso, are considered

We will make sure that per our hospital policy we will I.D. the site at admission, whenever there is a patient transfer, and at preop we will communicate this with the patient whenever the patient is aware. We will strive to make sure that the surgical sites are appropriately marked per the site I.D. policy and that the patient is interactive in the process when applicable. As part of this policy we will also make sure that all necessary medical records and labs are readily available for the procedure. We will also make sure that all possibly needed equipment and supplies are present.

Surgical Technologists have an important role in the operation room (OR). There are different positions within the Surgical Technology field, including Scrub Surgical Technologist, Circulating Surgical Technologist, and Second Assisting Technologist. Scrub Surgical Technologists have a number of tasks, including prepping the patient for surgery, sterilizing the OR, gown and glove surgeons and assistants, and assists the surgeon and other surgical team members in a number of ways, such as passing instruments and dressing wounds. Circulating Surgical Technologists have a number of tasks as well, including checking patient’s charts, identifying patient and verifying the surgery that will be performed with consent forms, assisting anesthesia

All equipment must be cleaned in between patients if it is re-usable and not for single use. There are three levels of risk High, intermediate and low, and three ways to decontaminate Cleaning, Sterilisation, and Disinfection.

He or she maintains the operating room, sterilizes equipment, and prepares patients for their procedures. A surgical technologist, who may also be called a surgical or operating room technician or a scrub tech, sterilizes equipment and hands surgeon’s instruments upon their request.” (Dawn Rosenberg McKay). But before even considering becoming a surgical technologist, one must have nerves of steel, must be reliable/ dedicated, and must be able to adapt to any environment they encounter as a surgical technologist.

Quality control processes are also a major part of a Sterile Processing technicians daily task. As pointed out on the Infection Control Today’s website “Healthcare facilities should allow adequate time for reprocessing to ensure adherence to all steps recommended by the device manufacturer, including drying, proper storage, and transport of reprocessed devices”. (“Immediate Need to Review,”2015) This involves a detailed policy and procedure manual and manufactures instructions available for all technicians to reference to ensure proper measures are taken for the cleaning and processing of medical products to ensure patient

“The Process Improvement in Stanford Hospital’s Operating Room” case has many issues when it comes to regards to its existing instrument provisioning process taking place within the Operating Room (OR) of Stanford’s Hospital. This process entails getting instruments ready for a surgery in the OR and the cleansing of these instruments afterwards; however, there are many problems that arise in this process.

Thesis: My goal is to inform my audience the importance of counting the instruments and sterile supplies for Surgical Procedures.

However, to keep these pieces of medical equipment up and running, they must take solemn practices of sanitizing and cleaning of the materials.

Only when it is absolutely necessary should a catheter be inserted into a patient. Every patient is assessed for the need for a Foley catheter. If the Foley is inserted, assessments are also then done daily to see if the need is still valid. If the reason is not justifiable the catheter must be removed from the patient (Joint Commission releases new NPSG for CAUTI, 2011). Nurses must follow guidelines while inserting indwelling catheters as well. Aseptic technique is critical to maintain during this process. The use of sterile equipment and a sterile procedure helps to reduce the risk of CAUTI. If in any way the catheter becomes contaminated during the process of insertion, the nurse should discard of the entire catheter and start with a new, sterile kit. Proper hand hygiene is very important before and after contact with indwelling catheters to decrease risk of infection. Maintenance of a close drainage is system is also important that way bacteria are not able to get in and cause infection (Revello & Gallo, 2013). Decreasing the number of times Foleys are inserted and how long they stay in for can help reduce the risk of CAUTI since the longer a Foley stays in, the higher the risk of infection becomes. Nurses must keep the catheter line patent, with no kinks to allow urine to flow freely through into the collection bag. When a urine sample must be obtained it must be done in a sterile

They set up the instruments and equipment needed for the particular operation to be performed. They have to be able to anticipate what the surgeon will need and hand the instrument to him or her when required (Aims Education, 2015).

Quality control checks are vital at this stage. Slide numbers and surnames must be double checked with the forms, as well as the type of sectioning required (e.g. levels, shallow levels, serials, H&E, or unstained spares). The number of blocks in the case must also be checked. During sectioning, it is integral to always perform a final check of block number to slide number before picking up the section from the water bath. There can be huge consequences if a section is placed onto an incorrect slide, particularly if they are two different cases of two different patients. Only ribbons of one block should be floated at one time to prevent confusion and mix up. Following each block, the water bath should be cleaned using tissue regularly, to remove and wax, tissue, and debris. There are also several health and safety cautions to consider. Microtome blades are extremely sharp and can easily cut skin, thus they must be handled using forceps when blades are changed, and old blades must be put into the designated compartment located on the bottom

The OR is naturally a high risk environment, surgery naturally exposes staff to patient blood and body fluids, involves the handling of sharp instruments, and the close interactions of the surgical team within a limited amount of space (Jagger et al., 2011). Operations involve the types of sharps; trocars, some surgical instruments, saws, drills, reamers, and some suture needles and scalpel blades that may not easily be replaced with Safety Engineered Devices (SED’s) (Guest, Kable, & McLeod, 2010). The majority of sharps injuries within the OR result from handling sharps, such as needles, blades and sharp instruments hand-to-hand (Jagger et al., 2011).