moist and prevent the
drying of bioburden.
Case carts come down
from the ORs in a dedi-
cated elevator that
empties into a soiled
decontamination area.
All instruments under-
go thorough manual
cleaning according to
manufacturers' instructions for use (IFU), even though our 4 automated
washers are validated to clean items that haven't undergone hand scrub-
bing. We consider manual cleaning an added safeguard.
Lumened and complex instruments are challenging. We open scis-
sors and take apart devices with multiple parts. We flush, brush and
inspect all the cracks and crevices to ensure visible tissue and blood
are removed. We invested in a handful of different-sized brushes to fit
instruments with various-sized lumens. We soak and manually wash
all items in warm water and detergent, and rinse them with distilled
water before running them through the automated washers. We
reserve ultrasonic cleaning for heavily soiled instruments or items
that must undergo the cycle per manufacturers' directives.
We're planning to install computers at each decontamination worksta-
tion so staff can access instrument tracking software that displays
instructions and video tutorials for cleaning every item in our inventory.
Certified techs are permanently assigned to each area in our reprocess-
ing department. These specialists are responsible for implementing new
policies and procedures, ensuring instruments are cleaned and
processed properly, and answering questions the staff might have about
caring for specific items. The techs also runs staff in-services whenever
8 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6
• BY THE BOOK Each instrument must be reprocessed according to its manufacturer's
instructions for use.
St.
Cloud
Hospital
