Pennywise and Pound Foolish

Quick Fixes Aren’t the Answer

When budgets are tight, people sometimes look for quick fixes to save on immediate costs. Unfortunately, they will end up being sorry if what looks like a less expensive product costs more in the long run. Paying a bit more upfront for durable products and treating them right so they last, costs less when we look at the total cost of ownership (COO).

Total COO considers long-term costs and benefits. It looks beyond cost per item or per gallon and factors in how long each product will last.
The COO approach asks people to shift their mindset from short-term to long-term benefits. How can you extend the number of uses of each item you buy without compromising results? Are you using the best materials for the job? Let’s look at several examples: containers, trays, and detergents.

Treat Your Containers Right

Instrument containers might be made from aluminum or plastic. Aluminum containers can be anodized to protect the surfaces from corrosion. The anodizing process thickens the natural oxide layer on the aluminum surface, making the product corrosion resistant, and the seal that follows makes the surface as hard as a diamond, increasing its useful life. Non-anodized containers don’t last as long and discolor and degrade in weeks or months. Anodized aluminum is durable and long-lasting, but only if it isn’t subjected to chemicals that destroy the metal.

Review the IFU

Manufacturers are required to provide instructions for use (IFU) for their products. Importantly, review them periodically to refresh your knowledge. Ours for example provides guidance about proper care and handling of our SteriTite container. Alkaline cleaners with even a pH (over 10) are not compatible with aluminum, or with any other metal over time. They attack the surface layer, removing the metal's protective outer shell from corrosion. If aluminum containers show evidence of corrosion, that’s probably because the customer cleaned them with the wrong chemistry, which goes against the instructions for use (IFU). The IFU for our SteriTite containers states, “Do not use alkaline detergents, acid neutralizers, or drying or sheeting agents. Caustic detergents will oxidize the anodized aluminum surface of the container and create discoloration and corrosion.” Click here for our latest revision or scan the 2D barcode on the container latch.

Inspect To Preserve Your Investment

There are warning signs before a container gets to the point of being corroded. The containers to the left cannot be repaired and need to be disgarded. White powder is a tell-tale sign that the detergent isn’t compatible with the container. A dull finish or surface scratches indicate that the protective outer seal is degrading. However, it’s also fixable. There is no need to discard the container or return it to the manufacturer if it can be repaired. A pH-neutral detergent, followed by a thorough rinse in filtered water, and 8 minutes in the autoclave, will repair the problem, but using a pH neutral detergent or enzymatic cleaner followed by a thorough rinse with pure water after each use will solve the problem.

Keeping it Dry and Sterile

Instrument trays and baskets are designed to keep instruments organized and sterile. Metal is the best material for this job. Unlike plastic, it won’t crack or warp when run through a sterilizer. It will also come out of the sterilizer dry. There is no need for absorbent liners, which saves money by not buying these disposable items. Plastics retain moisture, which is why plastic trays and containers require liners and significantly more time to dry. Wet environments are where bacteria can multiply. That’s not a good risk to take for infection prevention and patient safety.

Metal is also thermally conductive, aluminum is one of the most thermally conductive metals of all, only copper and gold are higher. This means that your anodized aluminum container heats up and cools down much quicker than most other materials. The heat of the sterilizer rapidly and efficiently transfers energy to the instruments to sterilize them. Everything in the container gets to a uniform temperature.

Preserving Your Investment Is Good Common Sense

To preserve your investment, use pH neutral or enzymatic detergents that are certified to be safe and effective. Available in small bottles, or containers, of highly concentrated solutions that are easy to manage and save space compared to large drums of more dilute cleaners. When diluted according to recommended instructions, they are a money-saving option because they provide more uses per bottle than other, less concentrated cleaners. The specified dilution rates are intended to be effective without wasting detergent unnecessarily. Look for cleaners with a narrow dilution rate to avoid waste. Case Medical has U.S. EPA Safer Choice Certified instrument chemistries that display the Safer Choice label, meaning that they are the safest in their class and meet and exceed competitive products.

Case Medical supports sustainability and value. The combination of SteriTite metal trays and containers with enzymatic detergents offers a system that is safer, more sustainable, and provides the best return on investment. Want to learn more about the total cost of ownership and how we can help? See our article in Healthcare Purchasing News.

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Visit us anytime at www.casemed.com to learn more about our products and services. We are here to help. Case Medical is a U.S. EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year and a Frontrunner in the Chemical Footprint Project. Contact us today to learn more about our certified eco-friendly cleaners and detergents and how we can help your facility’s bottom line with reusable and environmentally preferred products and services.

Kindest Regards,

Marcia Frieze and the Case Medical team