Should, can, may, must… Healthcare is an industry that is highly regulated. And there are regulatory requirements that should be met for manufacturers and users, for the benefit of the patient. There are various products and processes available in sterile processing for the same intended purpose, whether it’s for decontamination, sterilization, or for surgical and patient care procedures. Where things get messy is when faced with conflicting messages...

Yesterday we updated our signature block to reflect the beginning of a new decade in the life of Case Medical. Given all the projects we are working on and the upgrades with new equipment on the manufacturing floor, I nearly forgot that this week is our 31st anniversary...

White residue on devices, sticky film on instruments, retained bioburden… Excessive use of chemicals can interfere with the processing of reusable devices. Some pre-treatment gels lock in soil, other cleaning agents are corrosive, and those used in cart washers may be simply too much, especially when drying or sheeting agents leave behind an organic film that can interfere with low temperature sterilization...

Each week we send a blog that has updated information about current issues and concerns relevant to healthcare professionals, specifically SPD, OR and Materials. Often our goal is to reinforce best practices, but today we would like you to reconsider a practice or “Sacred Cow” that can apply to other container systems, but not to our SteriTite containers...

During the past two decades, sterilization containers have replaced wrapped trays and even peel pouches. Containers come in a full range of sizes and configurations that meet the specifications of the devices to be sterilized. When compared to disposable wrap and peel pouches, containers save money, contribute to the bottom line, and provide the ultimate in instrument protection and sterility maintenance, but how long do they last...

Misinformation is information that is spread intentionally or unintentionally, that is false, inaccurate, or misleading according to the best available evidence at the time. Consider the last few years during the pandemic when scientific data was questioned, and all types of remedies were rapidly disseminated on the internet...

Recently, I read a book about Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, an Austro-Hungarian-born American actress and inventor. She was a film star during Hollywood's Golden Age. In 1942, she received a patent with composer George Antheil for a “frequency hopping, spread-spectrum communication system” designed to make radio-guided torpedoes harder to detect or jam during World War II. She never received a dollar for her invention, which was dismissed by the military because they couldn’t accept the intelligence of a woman...

Monday, one of our sales reps reported a wash indicator failure at a local facility currently using our cleaners and our Case Soil indicator. We knew it was an opportunity to solve a problem and possibly improve their process. The wash indicator is supposed to fail when something in the wash sequence isn’t right. It’s your first alert that something is wrong...

Shorter cycles, less rinses have been discussed for some time at AAMI working groups and amongst healthcare professionals. Most agree that adequate contact time and rinsing is good practice for manual and automated processes. Detergents lift but rinsing removes the soil. Now manufacturers of new washer/disinfectors have gone even further by promoting cycles preset in their new machines which eliminate rinse steps and rinse times

We’re talking about risk analysis, the process we go through before deciding on a given action. Whether its diet soda or donuts we'll do a casual risk analysis in our head. Example, someone is sharing a dozen donuts, do you want one? YES! Do you need the extra calories, fats, sugar, etc. NO! The heck with it, YOLO!...