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S T E R I L E
P R O C E S S I N G
QUICK QUIZ
Would You Flash in This Situation?
You're setting up for an orthopedic
case, and you drop 2 of the
implantable screws. The screws
are specific to the procedure and
can't be replaced. The patient is
minutes away from entering the OR.
Which of the following steps should
you take?
a. flash sterilize the screws as near to the point of use as possible
b. flash sterilize with an extended exposure time
c. flash sterilize using a rigid, specially designed container
d. all of these
e. do not flash sterilize and reschedule the procedure
Answer: d. all of these
Although wrapped, conventional steam sterilization at the usual times and
temperatures is preferred, correctly performed flash sterilization is effective and acceptable in instances such as the described scenario. But flash
sterilization is not to be used routinely because 1) biological indicators
don't provide results quickly enough; 2) the lack of packaging opens the
flashed item to contamination during OR transport; or 3) the sterilization
cycle time, temperature and pressure meet only minimum recommended
N O V E M B E R 2012 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
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