Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers

The Economics of Prefilled Syringes - August 2017 - Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

Issue link: http://outpatientsurgery.uberflip.com/i/860206

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 105 of 116

1 0 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 Although central sterile techs have their hands full turning around flex- ible endoscopes and cannulated drill bits for speedy re-use, the challenges extend far beyond lumened instruments. Even seem- ingly straightforward surgical instruments may pose an infection risk, says Laura E. Staubitz, MEd, BSN, RN, CIC. Ms. Staubitz, an infection prevention practitioner with Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, Wash., is a firm propo- nent of following instructions for use when it comes to reprocess- ing each manufacturer's instruments. But she also recalls one instance in which "going against the grain" was an acceptable course of action. It was 2014, when she was with CHI Franciscan Health, and a surgical tech was having trouble cleaning a particular rongeur, so he went against the manufacturer's IFUs by opening up the rongeur to make sure it was free of bioburden. Long story short: It wasn't. "Inside there was a lot of bioburden," she says. "It was pretty shocking." The facility responded by pulling the particular rongeur from use, and it also filed a MAUDE (Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience) report with the FDA, which feeds a public database of adverse events involving medical devices. In the process, the facility learned that at least one other facility had FRONTLINE FAITH Taking Initiative in Central Sterile • ENGAGED Dedicated sterile techs may help to identify instruments whose design may pose unanticipated reprocessing challenges.

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers - The Economics of Prefilled Syringes - August 2017 - Outpatient Surgery Magazine