Surgical Instrument life cycle?
SIM tracks surgical trays throughout their life cycle. After the trays are used in the operating room, Sterile Processing departments typically divide into four areas to accomplish the following functions: decontamination, tray assembly, sterilization, and sterile storage and case picking.
Operating room
Managing the sterile surgical instruments for the OR is the primary function of the Sterile Processing Department (SPD). Surgical instruments arrive at the OR in trays with count sheets that detail the quantity, type, and exact order of the instruments in the tray. OR personnel use count sheets to count the instruments before and after surgery. After the completion of surgery, OR surgical technicians count all used and unused instruments recorded on the count sheet. Support staff transport the instrument trays in carts to the decontamination area often via dedicated "dirty" elevators.
Decontamination
The purpose of decontamination is to clean the blood and tissue off the instruments and trays by means of manual or mechanical cleaning and chemical disinfection. This general decontamination does not sterilize the instruments, but makes them safe to handle by SPD technicians.
Tray assembly
The purpose of tray assembly is to assemble trays of surgical instruments for specific surgical procedures for use in OR. As trays come out of the tunnel washer in decontamination, trays and instruments then move to the tray assembly area. Instruments arrive in a jumble. SPD technicians place the instruments onto a table at a workstation and use assembly instructions on tray lists to place the instruments in a precise order. After assembling the tray, the technician wraps the tray in cloth or places the tray in a metal container in preparation for the next stage of the instrument life cycle—sterilization.
Sterilization
After tray assembly, SPD technicians place surgical instrument trays on racks to move into sterilizers for sterilization. Properly sterilizing the instruments with the correct methods and duration ensures sterility for patient safety and that the instruments are not damaged.
Storage and Case picking
After sterilization, trays are then moved to a storeroom area, often located near the OR. Surgical sets may sit in storage for a few days or for as long as two years. When trays are needed for a case, the OR indicates what trays and other items are needed for an operation on a pick list. SIM users pick the trays then move the case carts containing instrument trays to the OR where the instrument life cycle starts all over again.