Remember the scene in the Graduate when Dustin Hoffman’s future father-in-law tells him to go into PLASTICS, the growing industry at the time, one of mankind’s greatest innovations.  When we started Case Medical thirty years ago manufacturing custom trays out of metal, we were told the same thing.  PLASTIC was the best material for all things in our industry…

Sometimes we get too involved in the details of a problem to look at the situation as a whole. Few recent scientific discoveries have captured the public’s imagination quite like the wood-wide web — a wispy network of fungal filaments hypothesized to shuttle nutrients and information through the soil and to help forests thrive. Scientists and nonscientists alike have posited that shared fungal networks are ubiquitous in forests around the world...

It is late October, a time when apples are pressed into cider, leaves turn to vibrant autumn colors and Halloween horror movies scare and thrill audiences. While the names of monsters, ghosts and ghouls in these movies change, there are some recurring themes that are common to all of them including dangers lurking in hidden places, unexpected twists, secret weapons and of course, sequels. In a horror movie starring SPD professionals ...

There's a lot to be learned from food science that can be applied to reprocessing medical devices. For example, you should never put meat into a cold pan before cooking, because the meat and even the oil will then stick and burn. Rather pre-heat your cookware before putting anything in it. The same principle of pre-heating holds true for sterilization, if you want to ensure a good outcome...

Thank You! Case Medical would like to take a moment to thank every Sterile Processing professional for the heart and soul you put into your work each day. With your tireless dedication, patients can count on you to keep them safe during a medical procedure with clean, properly processed sterile instruments. With your unwavering adherence to industry...

Traditionally, women were trained to be teachers, nurses, members of the helping profession, supporting their male leaders. Then things changed during WWII when Rosie the Riveter was called by our country in crisis to contribute to manufacturing necessary equipment when our male population went to war...

Ever wonder why there is so much stuff in your department? I just went through my closets and got rid of the plastic bags hiding the clothes I haven’t worn in years and shoes that have collected over decades. First, I don’t wear heels anymore and knowing my age it would be downright dangerous. There are many reasons why we should simplify and make do with less at home and in the SPD. Sometimes it’s clear, like supply chain shortages and sometimes it’s because we’re questioning our toll on the environment or when we see our inventory shelves with simply too much stuff. How much of the stuff has never been used or is expired? But there are gray areas, too, holding onto stuff you think you might need or being convinced to buy something you don’t need. It’s easy to convince ourselves that “wants” are needs when we just really, really “want” something!

Sponges may not be the best way to pre-treat endoscopes at patient’s bedside. There are 54 billion bacterial cells on a single cubic centimeter of the average kitchen sponge. They are breeding grounds for all types of germs and bacteria. A common sponge’s spatial partitioning – the way it’s divided into different sectors of various sizes – caters to bacteria that prefer isolated environments and those that prefer to be around other organisms as well, making it the best of both worlds for microbial communities.

Toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS) is an acute, noninfectious inflammation of the eye, it is a complication of cataract extraction surgery. One thing is clear there is no one cause of TASS. Did you know that there are so many possible causes of TASS that the CDC sums it up this way: “… most cases (of TASS) are attributed to 1) contaminants on surgical instruments, resulting from improper or insufficient cleaning; 2) products introduced into the eye during surgery, such as irrigating solutions or ophthalmic medications; or 3) other substances that enter the eye during or after surgery, such as topical ointments or talc from surgical gloves. So why are so many folks in charge of processing ophthalmic instruments reluctant to use enzymatic cleaners or any detergent at all?