Years ago, when we developed the SteriTite sealed container system, the healthcare industry was standardizing on wrapped plastic sterilization trays. They were light weight and came in a variety of colors with depressions that encapsulated an instrument. They looked nice for display purposes in industries like cosmetics, foodservice, and kitchenware.

Flash sterilization in the 1990s and even early in this millennium was used to rapidly sterilize surgical instruments in emergency situations, when unexpected delays backed-up the OR, or if a critical instrument was dropped before surgery. It was a way to keep the OR on schedule without necessarily considering the options. At the time, gravity displacement steam was the method of choice used in the OR to sterilize instruments.

Every person has a right to their opinion, but no one has a right to be wrong in their facts. It’s difficult separating fact from fiction, especially when you hear about it on the news or find it on the internet. 

Hands-on learning means learning by doing. Experiential learning environments provide endless hands-on learning benefits for all people, including SPD professionals.

Have you ever been told that the car you are considering is the newest and best ever, but never put on the road? That the coffee pot you bought is state of the art, but ends up burning apart

Geoffrey Hinton, often called the "Godfather of AI," is a British-Canadian cognitive psychologist and computer scientist known for his groundbreaking work on artificial neural networks. His research significantly advanced the field of deep learning and artificial intelligence.

Over the past month or two, we’ve learned that several facilities and health care systems have standardized on using germicides, environmental wipes, that EPA consider pesticides for cleaning our containers and other medical devices. Most of these disinfectant wipes are carriers for highly caustic solutions with pH >11 or composed of quaternary compounds considered hazardous to human health. And they are not rinsed off!...

A few times a month, I hear from a sales rep or a user about a failed wash indicator. It must be the indicator…can’t be our process and equipment. NO WAY!!! No one wants to learn that something is out of sync. This is especially troublesome when another indicator passes and our Case Soil indicator shows residue on the coupon, a failure...

Last week, I introduced you to a novel solution and process for infection prevention for devices potentially exposed to TSE (infectious prion proteins). While Case Medical spent a decade discovering how enzymatic cleaners can  do more than remove soil from contaminated devices, controlling the variables is just as important as...

The central role of the Sterile Processing Department (SPD) is to decontaminate surgical instruments for patient care procedures. By carefully following cleaning and sterilization protocols for used devices, the SPD plays a critical role in infection prevention. However, not all infectious agents are created equal.