How to Load a Medical Automatic Washer

In its recommended practice, AORN clearly supports the wiping down and the proper preparation of instruments after use. Here are just a few points: “All instruments opened on the sterile field require decontamination... instruments should be prepared for decontamination after use. Instruments should be taken apart and arranged in an orderly fashion in mesh bottom trays... open instruments' box locks... cover instruments with a damp towel, at a minimum, to prevent drying during transportation to the decontamination area...”²⁹

If surgical instruments are not returned in the proper way it will take the decontamination staff longer to prepare them for the cleaning process. If you do not take the time on the front end of the process that time has to be made up some place and that some place is usually the department that does the cleaning, assembly and sterilization of those instruments.

Stringing

Stringing instruments for decontamination is an important step. This exposes instruments to the complete cleaning process. Evidence of the benefit of stringing comes from these comments by a CSD manager, “We did implement the re-stringing of instruments prior to placing in the washer. This reduced the number of lost instruments, assembly of sets was easier and best of all, we had clean instruments!”³⁰

Other medical facilities are also seeing the benefits of stringing instruments and exposing them to the cleaning process. At a recent Greater Detroit central service meeting, Randy Sprouse, manager of central processing at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., informed the audience that his medical facility not only restrings instruments (opens instruments to at least six inches, when possible) in the decontamination area but they also count them. His findings have shown an improvement in not only the cleanliness of the instruments but a reduction in instrument loss and quicker assembly and turn-around time.³¹ Stringing can reduce the stacking of instruments, and can also make the assembly process smoother.