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M AY 2 0 1 4 | S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P AT 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
sterilization. Facilities that understand its role in
instrument reprocessing are doing it better and
doing it less. The bad: There are still some facili-
ties with questions that clearly indicate they don't
understand how and why immediate-use steriliza-
tion should be used.
1. What's the true definition?
Flashing, as it used to be known, was originally
intended for fast-tracking the reprocessing of
select, one-of-a-kind instruments or needed items
accidentally dropped on the floor during surgery.
But surgery teams have applied a more liberal
meaning to that strict definition over the years,
opting to run full instrument trays and loaner
instruments through IUSS cycles.
Individual facilities need to determine what con-
stitutes an emergent situation. In most cases, it
should be matters of life and limb, and not
because you don't have enough instruments to
keep up with case volume. The surgical schedule
should never dictate how instruments are
reprocessed.
Problems surrounding flash sterilization are
more common in ambulatory settings, where
space is tight, instrument sets are limited and
operating budgets are razor-thin. Eye centers
have told me they don't have enough instru-
ments, so they have to use IUSS. That's not
acceptable.
Threats to life or limb are truly emergent situa-
I N S T R U M E N T R E P R O C E S S I N G
QUICK TURNAROUND Immediate-use steriliza-
tion is effective and safe as long as it's limited to
emergent cases.
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