5 Ways to Protect Your Surgical Instruments from Damage

Surgical instruments comprise one of the largest investments a hospital or medical center will make. Whether it is a specialized instrument like a bronchoscope, or a general instrument like a scalpel, every organization that deals with patients needs to purchase surgical instruments that will be used every day. For the most part, these instruments are also attached to large price tags. This makes proper use and handling in and out of the operating room imperative. In doing so, these costly surgical instruments can be kept in better working conditions for a longer period of time than if subpar protocols were followed. 

That is not to say that surgical instruments cannot be damaged from everyday wear and tear—they most definitely can. But again, this is exasperated when improper procedures are prevalent. Instead of this, medical organizations need to do all in their power to protect their instruments and extend their useful working lifespan. With this in mind, we have gathered five tips you can follow to protect your surgical instruments from damage and keep them working exactly as they should for as long as they can.

Every non-disposable instrument needs to go through something called “reprocessing” after use, which is essentially a thorough process of cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of surgical instruments that ensures all surgical debris and microorganisms have been removed from and eliminated so they are safe for repeated use. Though every instrument must go through this, reprocessing is not the same for all. For example, endoscope reprocessing entails a leak testing stage that is meant to detect damage to their interior or exterior, a stage that is exclusive to certain instruments like endoscopes. 

Likewise, sterilization methods vary and include variants like autoclave, dry heat and hydrogen peroxide sterilization, all of which are reserved for certain instruments. Because of this, proper reprocessing protocols for every surgical instrument must be adhered to. Not only will this ensure that every instrument is indeed ready for use, but also that no unintended damage is done from following incorrect reprocessing protocols. Reprocessing can also be streamlined with organizations like Surgical Solutions, who ensure that everything is taken care of with certified and trained sterile processing technicians.

Like reprocessing, something else all surgical instruments need to go through is a thorough inspection that ensures all went well with reprocessing and that no damage was incurred, either before, during or after. Apart from general damage, checks should be made for cleanliness, corrosion, missing or loose parts, proper alignment and functioning mechanisms, all of which can devolve into damage if left unchecked. Similar to an inspection is testing, which goes even further to ensure that the surgical instruments truly are ready for use and will not face any setbacks.

To make this happen, standards and guidelines for inspections and testing should be enacted for every instrument, including using the proper tools and methods. For example, whereas testing rongeurs entails cutting a 3x5 index card (or a material of similar weight) to check that two-thirds of the cutting edge cut the test material smoothly, without rearing, testing for clamps includes closing them on the first ratchet and holding them up to the light to ensure that no light is seen passing through the jaws. 

When they are not being used or reprocessed, surgical instruments are in storage. In fact, most surgical instruments remain in storage for a longer period of time that they are not used. As such, special attention to their storage and organization must be devoted to guarantee that minimal damage is done to them in those times that they are not needed. For example, ring-handled instruments should be placed on stringers, pins or racks so they remain open and their tips (if they have them) remain protected, and sterilized protectors should be used on tipped instruments to protect their integrity.

Similar to paying special attention during storage, care should also be devoted to surgical instruments’ organization. That is to say, “like-metals” such as copper and brass should be wrapped together to minimize the damage they can do to each other or other instruments, small, delicate and sharp-cutting instruments should be stored in specially designed pouches, and so on. In a similar manner, specialized instruments should be stored according to their use and anatomy. For example, not only do endoscopes need to be stored inside a closed cabinet with venting that allows for air circulation, but also in a vertical position with all valves open so air can move freely throughout.

One of the last things a medical facility needs to deal with is damaged surgical instruments that impede its ability to take care of patients who need help. Whether from misuse or general wear and tear, a fact of owning these instruments is that they will eventually need to be taken in for repair or be outright replaced. This does not mean that the time it takes to get there should be expedited. Instead, they need to be protected from damage so their utility can be drawn out far longer that it would have been otherwise. To make this happen, here are the five tips we covered today one more time:

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