Picture brilliant red and yellow colors at Prismatic Hot Springs in Yellowstone Park in naturally heated water around 160 degrees F and beautiful green algae living in icy mountain streams. Both are produced by enzymes working with bacteria to make biochemical magic at amazing temperature extremes. How does this benefit sterile processing? With proper sourcing…
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We have all played it at some point in our lives, but what does the blame game have to do with Sterile Processing? This is more than a discussion on manual cleaning, this is a discussion on culture and complacency. All our guidelines and standards state that point of use cleaning is meant to be…
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When instruments make their way from the operating room to the decontamination department, their manual cleaning journey is about to begin. If your facility does not stock 12-15 different size lumen/channel brushes and toothbrush style brushes, are you able to clean everything effectively? For the sterile processing department to be successful, it is important that…
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Steam, the gaseous state of water, is formed when water is heated until it begins to boil. If it is heated beyond the boiling point, the steam becomes “dry” and as it cools below the boiling point, it condenses back to water. Steam must remain in motion in order to remain in its gaseous state….
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In the sterile processing industry, we hear it all the time “manual cleaning is the most important step in instrument reprocessing,” but do we believe it? There’s no time like the present to reevaluate our standard practices and invest time and resources into continuous improvement. It’s time to pause and evaluate what we are spending…
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AAMI ST79:2017 3.3.3.3 speaks to the requirements of each hospital’s Facilities Engineering department, stating that they must test AND document that the steam saturation percentages and non- condensable gasses are within specified parameters. You could always ask to see that documentation. In addition, you might also inquire as to what they do to treat the…
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Last month’s discussion began with some insight on a proven method of helping remediate mold growth within HVAC systems serving critical care environments. This month I’ll expand that conversation to include the emerging technology of Needlepoint Bi-Polar Air Ionization (NPBI), which not only helps eliminate mold growth in HVAC air-handing systems, but is also confirmed…
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