Tag: Surgical Instruments

FDA designates Class I recall for disposable surgical stapler cartridge correction

Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated the recall of Ethicon Endo-Surgery, LLC’s Endopath Echelon Vascular White Reload for Advanced Placement Tip a Class I, the most severe category indicating risk of serious injury or death. As detailed in the agency’s July 25 announcement,  the recall…

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By: Matt Danford
July 28, 2025
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Standards strengthen sterilization, disinfection process chains

Preventing infection from contaminated surgical tools requires attention to every link in a complex chain of processes, from point-of-use pretreatment in the OR to the moment the freshly disinfected or sterilized item arrives at the next patient’s bedside. For those on the front lines, manufacturers’ written instructions for use (IFUs)…

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By: Susan Klacik, BS, FCS, ACE, CHL, CIS, CRCST, AAMIF
May 28, 2025
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Waste-reduction culture, elimination of anesthetic gases slash OR emissions at USC

Editor's Note A physician-led sustainability initiative focused on waste reduction and eliminating desflurane an nitrous oxide is paying off for Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), according to a May 19 report in USC Trojan Family Magazine.    The article, part of a series focused on waste…

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By: Matt Danford
May 23, 2025
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How dialogue, data bridge the OR-SPD information gap

In the OR, precision and focus can mean the difference between life and death. However, surgical patient outcomes hinge on more than the competence of those working in these inherently intense environments. Every procedure also depends on the laborious, behind-the-scenes efforts of the people responsible for ensuring every surgical instrument…

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By: Stephanie Reda
April 29, 2025
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Practice updates ease steam sterilization balancing act

Reliable and robust enough for daily use on most medical devices, steam is the most common sterilant in healthcare facilities. However, using steam properly requires a balancing act. For example, too much moisture can lead to wet packs, while steam that is too dry might not be sufficient to achieve…

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By: Susan Klacik, BS, FCS, ACE, CHL, CIS, CRCST, AAMIF
November 20, 2024
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Offsite sterilization fuels onsite efficiency for lean ASCs

For many in the healthcare industry, imagining surgery without onsite sterile processing seems unthinkable. Then again, performing total joints in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) was unthinkable 10 years ago. ASC sterile processing departments (SPDs) are generally not designed to handle the high volumes of instrument trays, vendor trays, and…

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By: Lacey Dyer, RN, BSN, CASC
August 28, 2024
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Post-CABG cardiac shockwave therapy shows promise in early study

Editor's Note Using a device they call a “space hairdryer,” researchers in Austria applied gentle shockwaves to regenerate heart tissue after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) in a study with potential implications for millions of patients, BBC News reported June 20. Researchers are now seeking larger trials, European regulatory…

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By: Matt Danford
June 27, 2024
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How awareness evolves to action on surgeon, patient gender gaps

Takeaways Although women comprise half the population, they were left out of medical research on major causes of death for both women and men—cancer, heart disease, and stroke—until 1990. Using surgical tools designed by men, for men can impact every aspect of a woman surgeon’s work, from learning new procedures…

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By: Brita Belli
May 24, 2024
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Common inspection points for surgical instrumentation

Inspecting surgical devices is a time-consuming process. However, diligently checking every instrument prior to sterilization is essential to ensuring safe, proper functioning. As the last people to see devices before they are used for patient care, sterile processing technicians must be thorough. Exterior surfaces should be inspected for flaws such…

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By: Susan Klacik, BS, FCS, ACE, CHL, CIS, CRCST, AAMIF
May 24, 2024
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Faster, safer brain drill used for first time in life-saving neurosurgery

Editor's Note A patient undergoing emergency neurosurgery at Northwestern Medicine became the first to benefit from a neurosurgical drill designed to eliminate the need for hand-crank operation. According to a March 5 report from Northwestern, the procedure occurred in October at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, “when Northwestern Medicine neurosurgeon Matthew Potts, MD used…

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By: Matt Danford
March 14, 2024
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