Believe it or not many facilities are still wrapping instrument sets. A torn wrapped tray can be detrimental to the OR schedule and to patients. Recently, a customer informed us that a U.S. veteran was scheduled to have surgery. The patient commuted with his family several hours to the large metropolitan hospital where surgery was scheduled, taking time off work and paying for hotel accommodations in the area.

Tips to help you stay current for your professional career and personal growth. As a healthcare professional you’ve already made an investment of time and money into your career. Take a moment to reflect on your hard work and commitment, now congratulate yourself, you have accomplished a tremendous amount. But it doesn’t end there, according to CBSPD and HSPA, “the continuous renewal of certifications is crucial.” Here is how we can help...

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!

Gels can preserve tissue and bioburden under a tough to remove clear coating. Jurassic Park, the book and movie was based on the notion that mosquitos were so well persevered in amber that dinosaur DNA could be recovered after millions of years. Well, pre-cleaning gels work much the same way, after a short time a sticky skin forms on the gel, trapping the debris beneath and becoming virtually impervious to cleaning. Enter the pre-cleaning gel, easy to use, and convenient, made to prevent soil from drying onto used instruments; is it wet or just an illusion?

Spring Cleaning is a good thing at home and in the SPD. “Nothing feels quite as satisfying as coming home to a house that's so clean it practically sparkles.” And isn’t the same true for our workplaces and certainly for healthcare facilities? Springtime is here, throw open the windows, let in the sunshine and fresh air. Spring is a time for renewal after all. We here at Case Medical offer this checklist to help

This week we continue with Covid19 by looking at its effects around the world. Covid19 has become the great mystery of our times. Why for instance here in the Northeast, home of Case Medical, are we seeing a rise in cases? It’s uncertain if it’s the beginning of a larger surge. William Hanage, an epidemiologist at Harvard, said “There’s definitely something coming, but depending on all the moving parts it might be a ripple relative to previous waves.”

Uncertainty is the thing that will keep you up at night. Parents know it well as they wait up for the kid who’s out past their promised return time. Farmers uncertain about the weather lose sleep over will there be too much rain or not enough. Consider your own uncertainty as you try to plan for your facility against a backdrop of pandemic, unexpected events, and a war in Europe.

Does the idea of the conservation of energy make you think of the gas mileage your car gets, or putting on a sweater when you lower the heat in the house during winter, or maybe 60 watt LED light bulbs that make you think you’re going blind?

Does your idea of natural order mean be able to nap on a quiet Sunday afternoon, or binge watch a new comedy series that just dropped? Well, those activities certainly do fall into the natural order things for time off from work, but that’s not where this blog is going. Instead let’s talk about chaos, disorder, perfect example, the mess that greets you Monday morning in the SPD.

The world has probably changed more in the last few weeks than it has in the last two years during the pandemic. While we all want to be hopeful for peace in Europe, and a return to normalcy as the incidence of COVID 19 declines, world events just keep moving in the opposite direction. So, what to do? “Plan for the worst and hope for the best” is the strategy of the day. While for Case Medical, our perforated bottom rigid reusable containers remain the universal choice, it may be time to consider the advantage of solid bottom containers for pre-vacuum steam sterilization, for Stryker’s SteriZone low temp sterilizer, and certainly for transport of used items…