Two years ago, our orthopedic surgery center launched a comprehensive total joints program. We built two ORs and added 150 instrument trays, but couldn’t expand the...

The FDA announced earlier this year it was investigating the cause of 450 infections in patients who had undergone procedures involving urological endoscopes. The cases, ...

Endoscope care guidelines generally agree that dirty scopes can sit for an hour before reprocessing begins. Any longer, and bioburden is difficult to remove. To let reprocessing techs know how long scopes...

Linda Spaulding, RN, CIC, is a fixer of sorts. When facilities are having a problem with their infection control practices, they call her in to figure out how to solve it. Based on...

The sterile processing department at my busy medical center was recently expanded to ensure instrument care could keep pace with the opening of new operating rooms and...

Professionals in the sterile processing department (SPD) do their part to break the chain of infection by disinfecting and sterilizing the tools physicians use to provide safe...

Reprocessing flexible endoscopes is a never-ending job filled with potential pitfalls that can jeopardize patient safety. Our endoscopy center performs about 60 cases a day,...

Last month, the FDA announced it was investigating post-procedure infections and contamination issues involving urological endoscopes that were cited in 450 Medical Device Reports (MDRs) from January 2017 to...

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Components of some power tool sets used in the OR suites at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore were going missing — and it was costing the facility nearly...

Your OR staff is under enough pressure to achieve excellent outcomes and keep the surgical schedule on track during days packed with cases from early morning to late...

Why continue to carefully cover instrument trays with blue wrap — making even folds, straightening the edges and neatly taping the package shut — when you can...

What's the best way to keep your sterilized instruments free of contaminants and protect them from damage during storage and transport? Most of our clients use...

The No. 1 benefit of rigid containers? That’s easy. They eliminate the punctures and tears of “torn-wrapper” syndrome, which gives you added assurance that your instruments...

Endoscope reprocessing from start to finish. Is perfection possible every time when disinfecting scopes?

6 secrets for cleaning lumened instruments. Follow these tips to keep your central sterile processing department running on all cylinders.

Thinking of buying ... An automated endoscope reprocessor. 7 questions to ask to find the AER that best suits your needs.

Can you speed up your reprocessing department? You can't cut corners or skip steps, but automation can help you get sets back to the OR sooner.

A colonoscope you won't have to reprocess. Forget the dangers and hassles associated with reprocessing with this one-and-done scope that'll sell for about $200.

Our switch from blue wrap to sterile containers. A busy orthopedic hospital's containerizing conversion.