The correct packaging of surgical instrument sets before sterilisation is vital to reduce the risk of surgical site infections. However, because there is no standard to define the number of layers of wrap that should be used, practice varies. Suzanne Callander reports.
A key strategy for reducing the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) is the provision of surgical instruments and other devices used during the surgical procedure that are free from contamination at the time of use.
Medical devices used in surgical procedures are classified as ‘critical’ patient care items, according to the Spaulding classification system which was devised in 1968 and is still in use today. Critical items are considered to be those that enter normally sterile tissue or the vascular system or through which blood flows and these items should be sterilised, which is defined as the destruction of all microbial life.
An important element of the sterilisation of these critical devices is that they are appropriately packaged before sterilisation. This packaging is necessary to provide an effective barrier to microbial penetration as well as to protect the packaged items from contamination during handling, and to maintain sterility up to the delivery of the contents to the sterile field.
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