impact to the hospital and patient care can be substantial, says Ms. Van
Rooyen, leading to a long list of things you'd rather avoid, such as
delayed case start times (estimated $60 to $100 per OR minute), can-
celed cases, possible immediate-use sterilization of non-implant trays
and potential patient exposure to dangerous pathogens.
Innovative storage concepts that streamline the sterile processing
workflow, reduce unnecessary touchpoints and provide single-layer,
touchless transport of surgical trays have reduced Ms. Van Rooyen's
disposable wrap contamination to zero. After moving from traditional
rack storage to a modular system that provides silicone-protected trans-
port trays that carry surgical sets from assembly to the OR case cart,
Ms. Van Rooyen says her organization has not experienced a single
break in package integrity or case delayed due to wrapper contamina-
tion. With her process flow streamlined, she no longer has wrapped
trays being stacked before sterilization, and now her staff can place
wrapped trays directly on silicone-lined shelves on the autoclave rack.
This single-layer, transfer-rack storage innovation even improved Ms.
Van Rooyen's case cart process, letting SPD technicians remove the
entire transfer rack (shelf and all) out of the storage rack and place it
directly into the case cart, without needing to touch the actual
wrapped item. There is no lifting or pulling the trays, which is especial-
ly important when dealing with heavy trays, she explains. With this
storage system, human hands don't touch the assembled surgical tray
until it's opened for setup in the OR. The potential for damage to the
sterile tray has been drastically reduced, says Ms. Van Rooyen, leading
to more efficient processing and safer outcomes for patients. Sterile
processing departments no longer have to store bulky metal instru-
ment containers that take up extra space, are difficult to handle, and
must be cleaned and meticulously maintained.
Rather than a source of potential contamination, game-changing
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