Surgical items and instruments need the best practices for achieving disinfection and sterilization. It is mandatory to use disinfectants and implement best-in-class sterilization practices, ensuring zero infection chances for the medical and surgical instruments. It is essential to assure that these surgical items are free from the potential threats of infectious pathogens to patients. All patient-care items need a similar sterilization approach and the health care policies have also evolved with time. Multiple studies and research papers have exhibited a lack of compliance for surgical item sterility and safety with the globally-acknowledged guidelines for disinfection and sterilization. The lack of compliance has led to numerous health threats and outbreaks of infection.
Bioburden and sterility – Essential terms for testing
- Bioburden test – The bioburden test is a common evaluating step for surgical items. As the name suggests, it is a test conducted for reviewing biological organisms. The term “burden” in bioburden refers to the viable biological organisms. Bioburden is the number of living microorganisms in a given area or from a particular sample. Bioburden testing reviews the viable organisms in a sample and yields the total viable count.
- Sterility test – Sterility test is common for several pharma products and it is a critical part of the surgical instruments. A sterile instrument ensures a 100% absence of viable microorganisms or microbes having the biological capacity to reproduce. The sterile surgical products get chemically sterilized or through heat application after final packaging. The chemical procedures and heat sterilization destroys the microorganisms in the package.
Why is it a universal responsibility?
Cleaning and ensuring sterility of the surgical instruments is everyone’s responsibility. Every user must be cautious about the best sanitization practices for managing surgical instruments. These specially designed surgical instruments are available in diverse shapes and sizes, often making them tedious to disinfect and sanitize. If the manufacturers fail to follow ideal industrial guidelines for sterile processing standards, it could be dangerous. It can generate health infections, production loss, etc.
Cleaning and handling the instruments – Know the correct approach
One must review the best practices for managing and cleaning the surgical instruments. All the instruments necessitate proper drying to avoid the chances of saline-related damage. Cleaning surgical instruments needs expert assistance and it is a crucial step for infection prevention.
1. Wipe the surgical instruments with sterile sponges and sterile water.
2. Separate the instruments before cleaning for optimal sterilization.
3. Surgical instruments need to be moistened and covered with a towel before using them for an operation.
Pros of consistent cleaning – The need for maintaining the best cleaning procedures for surgical instruments is integral for public health. Improper techniques for cleaning and disinfecting the surgical instruments adversely affect patient safety. In the long run, it also generates financial risks for the healthcare organizations. Quality and sterility are critical parts of ensuring a risk-free service with surgical instruments.
With the best evaluation techniques, ensure zero errors and accurate reporting about the sterility status.
Effective cleaning of the surgical instruments at the point of use or POU enhances functionality. Additionally, ensure the following with the best cleanliness practices –
- Reduction in the growth rate of microorganisms
- Increased functionality and longevity of instruments
- Better production and accurate reports
Apart from the testing measures, it is critical to maintain the best training facilities for surgical staff. The comprehensive solution through training helps in the reduction of surgical site infection.
Sterility of the instruments – Vital for quality assurance
The sterility of the instrument and safety are vital for ensuring the best functionality. One can find more than one testing facility for sterility assurance monitoring. The testing measures determine the sterilization process and parameters in use. The conventional sterility assurance indicators and agents are –
- Biological Indicators – Biological indicators play a critical part in evaluating the effectiveness of a sterilization process to eradicate and destroy bacterial spores. Biological indicators are used for routine monitoring, load monitoring, and functionality of the sterilization systems.
- Chemical Indicators – Chemical Indicators get applied externally or internally in the package containing the surgical instruments. External chemical indicators are also known as process indicators. It is essential to exhibit the effectiveness of the sterilization process for the entire package. Internal chemical indicators are available in more than one form. These get placed in the most critical areas and offer an accurate result.
Laboratory reports make the ultimate difference.
The state-of-the-art facilities at IRCLASS Systems and Solutions Pvt Ltd or ISSPL laboratory make the best solution for surgical instrument manufacturers. Get an assurance of the quality and utility of the manufactured batch and ensure the best functionality with safety measures. Obtain accurate results with expert evaluators under the scientifically designed testing setup. Connect to ISSPL for an error-free report.
