rigid sterilization containers tend to be bulkier than wrapped trays.
Will your sterilizer be able to accommodate the same number of trays
during a normal cycle? Also, will your storage room require expanded
shelving to hold the metal cases?
Functional compatibility is another concern. Sterilization guidelines
from AORN, AAMI and other groups emphasize the importance of
making sure that an instrument and its packaging can be properly
sterilized by a given method, and that the method is suitable for the
instrument or packaging. Is your sterilizer validated for the container
you're considering, and vice versa? How much time does it take to
complete a cycle?
Remember, too, that rigid containers may not entirely eliminate the
disposable costs of sterilization packaging, since some containers
include single-use filtration components, chemical indicators and
locks. Additionally, while some manufacturers offer a selection of dif-
ferent sized containers, you might still wrap smaller trays instruments
in blue wrap, when a whole tray isn't necessary.
Put into practice
Perhaps the most effective way to implement rigid sterilization con-
tainers is to look at your most problematic areas. Do orthopedic, neu-
rosurgical and spine surgeons frequently reject the instrument trays
they're brought? Do heavy trays often end up in torn wrappers? Is ster-
ilizing trays of loaner instruments from vendors the cause of case
delays?
We started small, trialing 10 containers in 2 rooms for about a
month of ortho and spine cases. When we started, we expected some
pushback from the OR, and a need to convince them, but our doctors
loved it. We bought 100 containers, which is when we saw the real
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