M A Y 2 0 1 5 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 3 3
D
oes immediate-use steam sterilization (IUSS) increase the
chances of a surgical site infection (SSI)? That's a loaded
question that's perhaps best answered with this qualifier: not
if you do it when you should (when time prohibits all other
options), why you should (because an instrument critical to
the case dropped on the floor and you don't have a replacement) and how you
should (no shortcuts).
"Perhaps the most important step in doing flash sterilization is cleaning and
decontaminating the instruments before placing them in the autoclave," says
Dale W. Bratzler, DO, MPH, the chief quality officer at Oklahoma University
Yes, but only if you do it backwards.
Here's how to get immediate-use steam sterilization right.
Dan O'Connor | Editor-in-Chief
Can You Spell SSI With IUSS?
z WELL DONE IUSS will accomplish sterilization if you correctly
perform all of the steps before, during and after the process.
