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.

Most of us realize that while we may not be in a supply chain crisis or shock yet, nevertheless we are facing a supply chain dilemma. A supply chain shock is defined as an unexpected event that disrupts the flow of goods and services within a supply chain, like a flood which we’ve experienced, an unexpected move done that too, pandemic

 There was a time when processing medical devices was simple. Paper count sheets were commonly used, stick on labels identified product and location, and documents could be kept in the supervisor’s office because processing these devices was intuitive.

We’re talking about risk analysis, the process we go through before deciding on a given action. Whether it’s diet soda or donuts we'll do a casual risk analysis in our head.

We all know the bedtime story about Chicken Little, who was hit on the head with an acorn and went on to create a panic thinking that the sky was falling...