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A
re pre-sterilized implants and single-use instrument kits that
come boxed and ready to use worth a try? Consider:
• Surgeons get a new and sterile instrument every time. As one man-
ufacturer puts it: One surgery, one box, one company.
• You eliminate the reprocessing risks of hard-to-clean reusable
instrument sets because you dispose of the kits after one use.
• Pre-sterilized instrument kits contain only what the surgical team
uses, so you'll cut down on waste and save storage space (they're
about one-fourth the size of regular trays).
• Some vendors even barcode each package separately so you're
only billed for what you use.
• You eliminate delays or cancellations due to wet trays or an over-
looked dirty instrument.
As with everything you purchase, cost is a key consideration. While
at first glance it might appear that pre-sterilized implants and kits are
pricey, when you factor in the time you'll save and the efficiency you'll
gain — and when you remove reprocessing and immediate-use steam
sterilization from the equation — they could hold real value.
Check out the thumbnail sketches of 7 sterile instrument and
implant sets, compiled by the editors of Outpatient Surgery.
OSM
Ms. Mack (dmack1957@gmail.com), an independent healthcare consultant
specializing in infection control and quality, is chair of the California
Ambulatory Surgery Association education board.
Pre-sterilized Implants and Procedural Kits
Surgery-ready implants and disposable instrument sets in a box.
Thinking of Buying …
Deborah Mack, BSN, CNOR, CASC | Littleton, Colo.
