Disinfection/Sterilization

Healthcare workers have long been trying to prevent infections related to medical devices, but must try even harder as of Oct. 1, 2008, when regulations from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) go into effect. As a result, hospitals will no longer receive higher payments for the additional costs associated with treating patients for certain hospital-acquired infections, including those ...

Key assets directly related to revenue in today’s surgery departments is the management of a vast inventory of surgical instrumentation, equipment and supplies. Instrumentation, along with rigid and flexible scopes in a 350-bed hospital with a 14-suite surgical unit, can easily exceed $5 million. The number of instrument sets can hover around 400 and account for some 10,000 or more ...

A patient, dehydrated and needing fluids STAT, enters the emergency department. But wait, there are no IV pumps. The central sterile department (CSD) is paged, the call is returned to the ER, and an infusion pump is requested. The CSD responds with the dreaded answer, “We don’t have any pumps to give you.” The ER responds with, “Where are all ...

With the increase of complicated medical devices, central service departments (CSDs) face challenges like this one posted on a CSD chat room: “Is it acceptable to wash instrument sets through the washer in the rigid containers with the lids on? Or should the lids at least be taken off? And how much handwashing should be done before processing? I am ...

On Dec. 28, 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a new rule designed to control air emissions from hospital sterilizers using ethylene oxide (40 CFR 63, subpart WWWWW). Given the lingering confusion over this rule (no, EtO is not going to be banned), this article will summarize the issues that hospital administrators must address, and to identify resources that ...