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Intro to Sterile Processing | What do Sterile Processing Technicians do? — Transcript

by The Sterile Guy · 5,752 words · 898 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00[Music]
0:04hey Sterile Processing professionals and
0:06anyone else out there curious about
0:08Sterile Processing Brandon the sterile
0:10guy here for those of you who don't know
0:13I have served in the sterile processing
0:15and operating room fields for over 20
0:18years now working at a variety of
0:21hospitals to include level one Trauma
0:23Centers military hospitals and even on a
0:27forward surgical team deployed to the
0:29front lines of Afghanistan needless to
0:31say I've seen and done a few things I
0:34have also been certified as a crcst
0:36which is the basic certification for
0:38Sterile Processing technicians as well
0:41as instrument specialist and Health Care
0:43leader I have also earned my
0:45certification as a certified surgical
0:47technologist and lastly certification in
0:51infection control in today's video we
0:53are going way back to school a very
0:56abbreviated school but back to Sterile
0:58Processing 101 to give you a brief but
1:01solid intro to the world of sterile
1:03processing quick Interruption if you
1:05want a much more in-depth training in
1:07Sterile Processing or want to be certain
1:09that you'll pass the sterile processing
1:10certification you need to check out the
1:12Sterile Processing 101 certification
1:14Prep course this course contains over 6
1:17hours of video lessons has over 450
1:20certification exam questions and has a
1:23members only Community where you can
1:25study with other technicians and it all
1:27comes with a 10-day money back guarantee
1:29because I'm confident you'll love it
1:31first link in the description or visit
1:33the sterile guide.com back to the show
1:36this video is going to be a bit longer
1:38than my normal videos so please use the
1:40restroom make yourself comfy grab some
1:43snacks whatever you need to do to be
1:46present right here right now and before
1:48we jump into this adventure together
1:51please hit that subscribe and like
1:53button to help get this video out there
1:56to more texts and prospective texts who
1:59are trying to enter this field or
2:01persons who just want to learn about
2:03Sterile Processing okay with that out of
2:05the way let's get started first off what
2:08is a sterile processing Department great
2:11question glad you asked first let me say
2:14that not every place calls it sterile
2:16processing there are many names like
2:18Central Sterile sterile processing and
2:21Central material supply to name a few
2:24but honestly the name isn't important I
2:26just want to keep you in the loop for
2:28this video I will refer refer to it as
2:30Sterile Processing Sterile Processing is
2:33a department in a hospital and some
2:35types of other facilities which is the
2:38area where surgical instruments are
2:40cleaned and sterilized in between being
2:43used in surgical procedures you didn't
2:46think we reuse those nasty bloody
2:48instruments without cleaning them first
2:49did you gosh I hope not so basically for
2:52every area that uses reusable surgical
2:55instruments or procedural
2:57instrumentation there's usually a
2:59Sterile Processing department or a place
3:02that is dedicated space for Sterile
3:05Processing to be done if you think
3:07operating room then think Sterile
3:09Processing think dental procedures think
3:12Sterile Processing space there's always
3:15an educated technician to perform the
3:18job of sterile processing whenever
3:20surgical instruments need cleaned and
3:22sterilized and speaking of educated
3:24technician let's segue into the heroes
3:27who work in Sterile Processing known as
3:30Sterile Processing technicians a sterile
3:33processing technician or sterile tech
3:36for short is an individual who works in
3:39many areas of sterile processing
3:41completing many different jobs and tasks
3:44throughout an entire production process
3:48and I purposefully use the word
3:50production because Sterile Processing is
3:52designed to work as a production line
3:55and this is for good reason which jumps
3:57us into the number one absolute core job
4:00of sterile processing and Sterile
4:02Processing technicians it's the absolute
4:05heart of the job can you guess what it
4:07is infection prevention yes I said
4:11infection prevention throughout
4:13everything a stero Tech does everything
4:17comes down to stopping the spread of
4:20microorganisms that can cause harm to
4:23others that is the job at its most
4:25simplistic form now how that is
4:28translated into everyday operations
4:30looks a lot different depending on what
4:32types of instruments or equipment you're
4:35working with and which area of the
4:38Sterile Processing Department you are
4:40working in for that day so let's talk
4:42about Sterile Processing design for a
4:44second everything down to the flow
4:47clothing and even the air ducts are
4:49specifically designed to meet this
4:51overall goal of infection prevention
4:53let's start with the flow every Sterile
4:56Processing department works from Dirty
4:58to clean there are three main areas of A
5:01Sterile Processing known as
5:04decontamination prep imp pack which is
5:06also known as assembly and lastly the
5:09sterile storage area some newer
5:12facilities have created a more organized
5:14layout in which they have a fourth major
5:17area which is sterilization and cooling
5:19but usually this area is embedded in the
5:22prep and pack area starting at the
5:24beginning of the flow this is where
5:26instruments are received and it is known
5:28as the contamination room which is
5:31sealed off and separate from the rest of
5:34the entire department now if you work in
5:36a very small operation then you may see
5:39a room that has segregated areas for the
5:41different jobs but we'll talk more about
5:44that later dirty instruments come into
5:46the decontamination room where they
5:48undergo cleaning then they make their
5:50way to the clean side where they are
5:52inspected and packaged then those
5:54surgical instruments move to
5:56disinfection or sterilization depending
5:59on their specific needs and lastly they
6:01move to an area known as sterile storage
6:04this is the most secure area where
6:06instruments are kept protected until
6:08needed for the next procedure so the
6:11flow moves in a pattern that goes from
6:13Dirty to clean now let's talk about
6:15clothing Sterile Processing has three
6:18primary sections I spoke about
6:20decontamination prep and pack and
6:22sterile storage but there is also a risk
6:25level involved with the design this is
6:28known as unrestricted
6:30semi-restricted and restricted depending
6:33on the risk level these will determine
6:36the tire and personal protective
6:37equipment that you must be wearing in
6:40those designated areas so unrestricted
6:43refers to outside the department in an
6:45area like break room or general hallways
6:48of the hospital in these areas you can
6:51be in street clothes and shoes that you
6:53wore right off the street it's not a
6:55free ticket to be gross though wash your
6:57hands and please use sanitizer
7:00now semi-restricted is the area inside
7:02of the general department where you must
7:04be wearing appropriate scrub attire
7:07which also includes a hair cover as well
7:10as shoe covers that go over those dirty
7:13Street shoes or you can do what a lot of
7:15technicians do and have a dedicated pair
7:18of shoes that stay in your locker when
7:21you're are done for the day that way you
7:23can change in and out of them without
7:25having to use those pesky shoe covers
7:28because these dedicated shoes are not
7:30worn outside of the department so these
7:33basic but critical standards reduce the
7:36amount of debris contaminants hair and
7:39anything else that could enter the
7:41department we definitely do not want
7:44those contaminants in there and lastly
7:47restricted level refers to the areas
7:49where procedures or surgeries actually
7:52occur or a very biohazardous area in
7:55these areas you would be wearing a whole
7:58lot more protective attire
8:00over the items we already discussed
8:03you'll find restricted level inside the
8:05operating rooms themselves where surgery
8:07is in progress as well as
8:09decontamination where it's very
8:11biohazardous but for steroid processing
8:13in general think semi-restricted okay I
8:17hope you're still with me three physical
8:19areas of sterile processing
8:21decontamination prep and pack and
8:23sterile storage and then three risk
8:26levels which determine the level of
8:28clothing and protective a tire to be
8:30worn in each area depending on that
8:33area's risk level unrestricted
8:35semi-restricted and restricted these
8:38risk levels set the standards for what a
8:40tire should look like by each area of
8:43the department and lastly about this
8:45whole design is the air flow and the air
8:48pressure air blows into the department
8:51in all sections and is HEPA filtered to
8:53prevent Airborne microorganisms from
8:56spreading but decontamination in other
8:59areas are completely different air
9:01channels this is of course to prevent
9:04cross-contamination unlike on an
9:06airplane where someone in first class
9:08sneezes and you breathe it in and Coach
9:11due to the circulating air system sorry
9:14for that visual I hope they regularly
9:16clean those cabin filters so separate
9:19systems but also separate amounts of air
9:23supplies and air returns and what is
9:26meant by those definitions is there are
9:28vents that Supply fresh air to the rooms
9:31and then there are vents that return the
9:33air from the room just like your air
9:36conditioning at home you have a supply
9:38vents that are in all the rooms that
9:40blow air in but you usually have a
9:43return vent that is somewhere usually in
9:45the middle of your home and maybe a main
9:47hallway where the air is sucked out of
9:50the house and back into the air
9:52conditioning system when a room receives
9:54the same amount of air that it the
9:57return vents are pulling out that is
9:59what what we would call balanced air
10:01room there's no pressure differential
10:04now with the dirty area in
10:06decontamination it works a little
10:08differently in decontamination more air
10:10is removed through the return vents than
10:13is actually supplied to the room from
10:16the Air Supply vents what happens is
10:19since the room doesn't have enough air
10:22to give to the return vent because the
10:24air supply is so stingy the return vent
10:27creates this negative of pressure as it
10:30pulls air from anywhere else it can and
10:33this extra air mainly enters the room
10:36through the exposed area usually from
10:38Cracks around the doors to the room so
10:41the concept and reason for this type of
10:43airf flow is to ensure that all the
10:46Airborne contaminants are sucked up into
10:49the return vents and become prisoners of
10:53the HEPA filter systems good riddens you
10:56nasty bugs this is a pretty cool concept
10:58to reduce Airborne pathogens if the room
11:02had balanced air the pressure pushing
11:04the air out of the room would be a lot
11:06less which would not get rid of very
11:08much of the Airborne contaminants
11:10creating that negative pressure by
11:12supplying less air than you're actually
11:15removing from the room is much more
11:17drastic and much more effective so
11:20that's negative air pressure in the
11:22dirty area now in the clean areas it is
11:25the exact opposite more air is supplied
11:28to the room and less air is pulled out
11:31of the room this creates what is called
11:33a positive pressure situation instead of
11:36these areas sucking air from around the
11:38doors to the inside of the room like
11:41decontamination does the clean area
11:43actually pushes more air out through
11:46those cracks to the rooms outside of the
11:48clean area this is similar to when your
11:51house has unstable air pressure from
11:53your air conditioning or swamp cooler
11:55and you go to close a door and depending
11:57on which way the door opens or Clos is
12:00you either have to push hard to get it
12:02to latch or you barely touch it and it
12:04slams shut and the main reason for this
12:07positive air pressure in the clean areas
12:10is that we want airborne bacteria and
12:12pathogens to stay away from our clean
12:16areas so that constant air pressure
12:18pushes Airborne microorganisms either
12:21into the HEPA filter return vents or out
12:25through the doors and the Cracks around
12:27the doors and you might ask Brandon
12:29wouldn't the negative air pressure Force
12:31the Airborne contaminants out of the
12:34room and into the HEPA filter vents
12:36anyways it would but it would also be
12:39pulling Airborne contaminants from
12:41outside the room into the room and
12:44that's the last thing we want in a clean
12:46area if you're in the operating room and
12:48you're pulling air from outside the room
12:50inside you're bringing a whole lot of
12:52contaminants that could affect that
12:54surgical site that's why we want
12:56positive air to push it away I hope that
12:58all makes sense it's a really ingenious
13:01design and has contributed to countless
13:05lives that have been saved over the
13:06years by preventing so many infections
13:10even though it is just a utility in the
13:12background we hardly ever pay attention
13:14to unless we are excessively hot or cold
13:18it is an impeccable wonderful design
13:21that keeps us safe now that we have
13:23talked all about infection prevention
13:25and how the Sterile Processing
13:27department is designed to assist assist
13:29with that goal let's jump into the
13:31day-to-day operations of a sterile
13:34processing technician it all starts with
13:36the reception of soiled or unsterile
13:40instrumentation which is received in the
13:42decontamination room this could be
13:44instruments coming back from the
13:46operating room after surgery this could
13:49be anesthesia blades needing cleaned and
13:51disinfected from the emergency
13:53department and sometimes this is simply
13:56clean instruments from outside the
13:58hospital hospital that are brought in
14:00because either they were purchased brand
14:02new or maybe they're being borrowed from
14:04another facility any reusable
14:07instruments coming into the department
14:09must go through the same process
14:12starting with decontamination The Only
14:14Exception is sterile instruments from
14:16your facility that are being returned
14:19because they weren't used for that
14:21procedure those are what we would call
14:23in the industry as returns those would
14:26bypass the decontamination area and come
14:29in through the clean doors and we don't
14:31want to contaminate perfectly good
14:34instruments that's why we bypass the
14:36decontamination area for those now that
14:39we are in decontamination let's first go
14:42over safety this area is by far the most
14:45dangerous in sterile processing with
14:47risk of Airborne pathogens bloodborne
14:50pathogens and many other different risks
14:54not to mention the Machinery High
14:56audible levels Heat and the potential
14:59for slips and Falls you got to be
15:01present and aware of what is going on
15:02around you when you're in the
15:04decontamination area this is also the
15:06area where you will wear the most amount
15:09of protective attire and equipment in
15:12the Sterile Processing Department
15:13besides the scrub shoe covers and hair
15:16covers we talked about earlier you will
15:18add waterproof gowns eye protection
15:22masks and heavy duty gloves for eye
15:25protection I prefer to use the full face
15:27Shields to prevent splashes with all
15:30this protective equipment you are ready
15:32to begin your duties in
15:34decontamination which involves cleaning
15:36gross soil off of surgical and
15:39procedural instruments so that they can
15:41effectively be disinfected and
15:44sterilized for use instruments arrive to
15:46the department usually on what we call
15:49case carts or procedure carts these
15:51should be carts on wheels that are
15:53mobile and can be enclosed and prevent
15:55fluid leakage while transporting
15:57instruments are generally supposed to
15:59arrive in your department fairly free of
16:02blood and bodily debris however that is
16:05going to vary significantly from
16:07facility to facility and case to case
16:10whether it is the time constraint or
16:12just poor practice in the operating room
16:15you may receive instruments requiring
16:17extra attention those with aversion to
16:19blood Beware with instruments that are
16:22contaminated with Bloods fats proteins
16:25and other debris it is important to use
16:28the right chemical and the right
16:29detergents as well as the correct dosing
16:32and temperature in order to get the
16:34greatest action with removing soil
16:37steril techs are great with these
16:38procedures as sinks are filled to
16:40specific volumes with water that is in
16:43the proper temperature range and then
16:45dosed with the correct ratio of
16:47detergents or enzymatics for cleaning
16:49enzymatics is a cleaning fluid of
16:52different enzymes that help to break
16:53down the different types of bodily
16:55fluids making them loosen from The Surge
16:58iCal instruments much easier surgical
17:01instruments are initially rinsed or
17:03soaked in water to loosen and remove the
17:06soil they are then soaked in the
17:07enzymatic cleaning solution for a
17:09specific period of time before the
17:12actual cleaning begins with brushes and
17:14other cleaning supplies to reduce air
17:16contamination instruments must be
17:19brushed underneath the surface of the
17:21water once instruments are cleaned of
17:23all visible debris they are rinsed of
17:25all remaining fluids and chemicals on
17:27the instruments now most instruments
17:30will undergo the next step of ultrasonic
17:33cavitation cleaning which is the exact
17:35same process that they use in a jewelry
17:37store to clean jewelry but on a much
17:40larger scale if you've ever had a ring
17:42cleaned you may have heard that little
17:44buzzing machine they use this machine
17:46creates specific sound frequencies or
17:49Acoustics that cause millions of
17:51microscopic bubbles inside the water to
17:55implode which works to loosen the soil
17:58off of the instrument and the last step
18:00in decontamination is to use an
18:02automated cleaning machine that also
18:04disinfects the instruments which makes
18:06them safe to handle for texts on the
18:08clean side now a side note here not all
18:11instruments can undergo this exact
18:13process there are items like power
18:15drills or flexible endoscopes that
18:18require a different form of cleaning
18:20that may require special cleaning
18:21supplies as well and because of their
18:24design may not be able to be submerged
18:26in fluid because it could destroy the
18:29electronic components of the item
18:31between decontamination and the clean
18:34side the majority of sterile processing
18:36departments have what is called a pass
18:38through window special items that cannot
18:40go through the automated washer will
18:42undergo their separate special cleaning
18:45and then be passed through the window
18:48also the case carts that transport the
18:50instruments will also enter an automated
18:52cleaning machine that cleans and
18:54disinfects them as well known as a cart
18:57washer now back to the autom
18:59disinfection machines they are designed
19:01to be a pass through operation as well
19:03meaning they are almost always part of
19:06the wall infrastructure that separates
19:09the sides of the department from Dirty
19:11to clean these machines are designed so
19:13that when one side of machine is open
19:16the other side is closed unless maybe a
19:19repair technician is working on them
19:21it'll always work that way this allows
19:23instruments to travel in that infection
19:26prevention flow while keeping a solid
19:28separation of areas once instruments
19:30reach the clean side after the cycle has
19:32run they will need time to cool and dry
19:35since they will be dangerously hot after
19:37the thermal disinfection cycle it is
19:40important to have heat resistant gloves
19:42to handle instruments on the clean side
19:44right out of the machines because burn
19:46injuries are quite possible once
19:48instruments are cool and dry they are
19:50ready to undergo our next section in the
19:53clean area called prep and pack here in
19:56prep and pack there's a lot of steps
19:58that are taken to ensure instruments
20:00meet strict quality measures in order to
20:03move forward in the process all
20:05instruments have different requirements
20:07and you must refer to what is known as
20:09the instructions for use or ifu for
20:12short these are provided by the
20:14manufacturer for each and every
20:17instrument an ifu is a manufacturer
20:20document which breaks down the proper
20:22and validated steps to handle clean
20:25disinfect sterilize and even store in
20:28mentation it also dictates the
20:31temperatures and Times of steam
20:33sterilization cycle parameters as well
20:35as low temperature cycle parameters and
20:38any other type of sterilization or
20:40disinfection process now the first and
20:43Main task with prepping pack is
20:45instrument inspection the inspecting
20:48process consists of critical components
20:50number one you're inspecting for
20:52cleanliness a phrase you may often hear
20:55in the field is if it is not clean then
20:58it can not be sterilized debris or dried
21:01blood can actually become a barrier that
21:03prevents the sterilant from penetrating
21:06and killing the microorganisms
21:07underneath not to mention the debris
21:10blood or tissue material itself could
21:13enter a patient wound that may lead to
21:16infections and transmit diseases or even
21:19cause surgical wound complications so
21:22visual inspection is critical this is
21:24the part of the production process where
21:26you and Sterile Processing have one last
21:29chance to lay eyes on the instruments
21:32making sure the cleaning process was
21:34effective at removing anything that can
21:36be seen with the naked eye most Sterile
21:38Processing departments also have lighted
21:41magnifying lenses to help in the process
21:43at a more detailed level number two you
21:46are ensuring dryness instruments must be
21:49dry when entering the sterilization
21:51cycle leftover liquid can interfere with
21:54the sterilization process causing cycle
21:57failures or even what we would call wet
21:59loads that is a topic we will get to
22:02when we discuss sterilization next in
22:04the process is testing functionality are
22:07the hinges of the instruments working
22:08properly is all the screw secured if any
22:11are present we are also testing
22:13sharpness for instruments like scissors
22:16we are testing insulation Integrity for
22:18laparoscopic instruments and performing
22:21any other inspection necessary for the
22:23different types of instruments we are
22:26inspecting next is maintenance or
22:28lubrications depending on the type of
22:30instrument and the manufacturer ifu and
22:33lastly the counting process for each
22:35instrument for each tray every tray has
22:37a specific list of instruments that
22:39belong in the tray as well as a number
22:42of each type of instrument a tray list
22:44might call for four Kelly clamps and it
22:46is imperative that all four of those are
22:49present trays are designed to operate in
22:51specific surgical procedures and lack of
22:54instruments could cause complications in
22:56the surgical cases if they are short the
22:58needed instruments if instruments meet
23:01all specifications and are good to move
23:03on to the next step then we move to
23:05packaging there are several different
23:07options to package an instrument into an
23:10item that provides a barrier of
23:12protection for the instrument each one
23:14has two main jobs to allow sterilant to
23:17penetrate and to reach the instruments
23:19during the sterilization process and to
23:22protect the instruments after
23:24sterilization making sure they remain
23:26sterile until they are open in the
23:29operating room to be used these
23:31different packaging items are containers
23:33wraps and peel pouches containers are
23:36generally made of metal and have
23:38disposable or reusable filters that
23:41prevent microorganisms from entering the
23:43tray but allow the sterilizers to
23:47penetrate with the sterile lint the
23:50containers also provide the greatest
23:52protection from damage or contamination
23:54after sterilization since they have a
23:56pretty hard shell exterior
23:58this hard exterior is more forgiving
24:01with transportation and other tray
24:02movements the wraps can be disposable
24:05like the woven blue wraps generally seen
24:08in the Sterile Processing department or
24:10they can be reusable fabric as well both
24:12of these are folded in specific
24:14variations to protect the instruments as
24:17well as create a perfect unpackaging
24:19sequence in the operating room this
24:21protects the instruments from being
24:23contaminated while being open by the
24:25operating room staff and lastly peel
24:27packs or pouches are generally used for
24:30single instruments or a small number of
24:32instruments that isn't enough to make a
24:34full tray these are paper and plastic
24:36pouches that can either be heat sealed
24:39or they can be self-sealing the paper
24:41side allows the sterilizer to penetrate
24:43to reach the instrument and both the
24:46paper and plastic serve as the
24:47protective barrier for the instrument
24:50after sterilization and something to
24:52note here these packaging products are
24:54also covered by manufacturer ifus which
24:57dictate the type of St ization and
24:59parameters they can endure now a little
25:01Pro tip here with packaging materials
25:04and instruments both having their own
25:06ifus it is very important that you
25:09follow both ifus however at no point can
25:12a packaging system ifu override the
25:15individual instrument ifu so if a
25:17packaging ifu says it can undergo an
25:19abbreviated or short sterilization cycle
25:22for instance but the instrument ifu
25:24doesn't state that then you stick with
25:26the instrument ifu sterilization and
25:28parameters all right one more thing to
25:30talk about before we close and seal
25:32those packages we need something that
25:34provides a form of communication to
25:37anyone who handles the tray to know
25:39whether it has been sterilized or not a
25:42container full of surgical instruments
25:44is great but if we don't know whether it
25:46was sterilized or not then it's useless
25:49this is where visual indicators come
25:50into play stero processing uses a wide
25:53array of chemical indication devices to
25:56help staff immediately know whether
25:58instruments are safe to use or need to
26:01be sterilized one of the main indicators
26:03seen more easily is indicator tape if
26:06you've seen blue WRA trays with tape
26:08having black lines all over it that
26:10means that tray is sterile and ready to
26:13use that tape initially starts out as
26:15off-white colored tape having White
26:18Stripes once that tape goes through a
26:20certain level of heat the color changes
26:22to black or dark brown for Steam and
26:25other colors depending on the different
26:27types of sterilization so for blue wrap
26:29trays it's easy to identify if sterile
26:31or not but what about containers
26:34sterilization containers will usually
26:36have multiple outside indicators which
26:38can be found as dots on the filters or
26:41even dots on the locks or tamper evident
26:43devices these locks not only show
26:46whether a seal has been broken or not
26:48but it also has that dot for easy
26:49reference of sterilization some people
26:52might think those different indicators
26:54are good enough to prove sterilization
26:56but wait hold on a sec that only proved
26:59the outside of the tray came into
27:01contact with heat or a chemical
27:03steriline it doesn't show whether the
27:05steam or chemical sterin made it inside
27:08of the tray to actually touch the
27:10instruments themselves that is where
27:12internal indicators come into play these
27:14are placed inside the trays in specific
27:16locations depending on the packaging and
27:19they prove to the operating room staff
27:21once they open the tray that sterilant
27:24in fact penetrated down to the
27:26instrument level but wait there's more
27:28more to say about Chemical indicators
27:30but let's transition to the next section
27:32called the sterilization area first
27:35because Sterile Processing is very
27:37serious work we don't only want to know
27:39the sterilant made it inside the trays
27:42we want to know if the certain
27:43parameters were met such as temperature
27:46concentration of the sterilant and time
27:48sterilization mainly comes down to four
27:51key components between all the different
27:53types of sterilization those are time
27:56temperature pressure and concentration
27:59we need the right concentration of
28:01steamer chemicals we need those at the
28:03right pressure inside the machines to
28:05contact the instruments we need the
28:08temperature to be in the optimal range
28:10for either the chemical sterilant to
28:12work or for the steam to reach
28:14appropriate heat and lastly we need that
28:17optimal range of temperature pressure
28:20and sterilant concentration to be
28:22maintained for a specific amount of time
28:26and that is why we mostly use use
28:28chemical integrators inside trays which
28:31are much more difficult tests ensuring
28:34much greater confidence for those who
28:35use the instruments in the O some
28:38integrators work kind of like a
28:39thermometer with the chemical in the
28:41strip it takes a specific amount of heat
28:44to liquefy the chemical and it takes a
28:46certain amount of time for that heat on
28:49the chemical to allow the staining up
28:51the strip to occur genius technology
28:54really and lastly about verifying
28:57sterilization we have taken it to the
28:59ultimate step which is using biological
29:01challenge tests mostly called bios in a
29:05biological vial there are millions of
29:07Spore microorganisms that are highly
29:09resistant to heat Andor chemicals and
29:12these are often put into the
29:13sterilization load with instruments to
29:15verify the killing power of the
29:18sterilizer what better way to prove
29:20microorganisms are being killed than to
29:22actually do the process on really hard
29:25to kill live microorganisms
29:28sterilization has many other factors to
29:30consider such as load weight what is the
29:33density of all the instruments that are
29:35able to be sterilized in a single cycle
29:38type of items being sterilized like
29:40metal Plastics canulated items which all
29:44factor into the parameters and types of
29:46sterilization to be used some items have
29:49proven to take longer to sterilize than
29:51others and will have longer cycles and
29:54lastly load configuration how the
29:56different types of packages are arranged
29:58on the sterilizer racks considering
30:00spacing and cooling time metal trays and
30:04wrap trays tend to cool at different
30:05rates and could cause condensation
30:08making trays unsterile once they are out
30:10of the sterilizer this is something we
30:12would call wet load which is where
30:14liquid causes a striketh through let me
30:17explain both a striketh through is when
30:19any part of a tray that is permeable
30:22comes into contact with liquid the
30:24liquid in a filter or blue raft serves
30:26as a passageway for microorganisms to
30:29enter the tray from the outside which
30:31they normally couldn't if the tray was
30:33dry and I might know what some of you
30:36are thinking Brandon if the tray is
30:37steamed sterilized isn't it wet already
30:40not exactly steam is water that reached
30:43a temperature so hot that it has become
30:45a gas it is a wet gas but a gas State
30:48nonetheless now steam heated for
30:50sterilization is much hotter than your
30:52average boiling spaghetti noodles did
30:55you know that steam used in
30:56sterilization is not 97% dry saturated
31:00steam that means there's very little
31:02water in this high temperature steam and
31:05it has very low humidity it allows the
31:08steam to contact instruments in a wet
31:10gaseous State causing the process that
31:12kills
31:13microorganisms without leaving moisture
31:16on the instruments this isn't steam like
31:18pouring out spaghetti noodles into a
31:20colander this is very dry steam with
31:23such intense heat it will completely
31:25burn you without leaving moisture behind
31:28it is a big misconception that steam
31:30sterilization loads are just full of
31:32water and this brings me to a wet load a
31:35wet load is when something went wrong in
31:37the cycle where moisture retained on the
31:39packaging leaves the packages wet and
31:42dripping moisture once they've been
31:44pulled out of the sterilizer this could
31:46happen for many reasons including
31:48sterilizer malfunctions density of the
31:51sterilizer load that exceeded the ifus
31:55bad quality Steam and another major
31:58contributor is not drying instruments
32:00before sterilization just like the
32:02misconception that steam sterilizers are
32:05nothing but lots of hot water many techs
32:08will leave instruments or trays wet
32:10thinking that well the sterilizer uses
32:13water anyways it will evaporate off
32:15remember I said the steam used is 97%
32:18dry steam so any water you add to the
32:21chamber affects that concentration
32:23increasing your chances of failed or wet
32:26loads listen still processing is a true
32:29science in every form this is not an
32:31entry-level job anyone can do it takes a
32:34lot of knowledge and skill to perform
32:36this job correctly okay I think we have
32:38covered sterilization enough to have a
32:40decent idea of how that area works now
32:43let's move to our final staging area for
32:45our surgical instrument life cycles the
32:48sterile storage area sterile storage
32:51should be the cleanest and least foot
32:53traffic area of your entire department
32:56this is where all your sterile tray
32:58instruments packages and sterile soft
33:00goods live this is where everything
33:02stays protected until it is ready for
33:04use and as I said a second ago this area
33:07should have the least foot traffic
33:09meaning only Personnel who need to enter
33:12the sterile storage should be there any
33:14other access and movement is unnecessary
33:17traffic that increases the risk of
33:19contamination depending on the facility
33:21you're in sterile storage can look
33:23wildly different you could have
33:25stationary racks rolling racks wire
33:27shelving flat shelving drawers Herman
33:30Miller cabinets you name it regardless
33:33of the shelving and racks all sterile
33:34items should be protected from moisture
33:37sunlight and dust now when it comes to
33:39organizing all your trays it is
33:41imperative you have the appropriate
33:43space to store your trays properly
33:46without compromising the packaging and
33:48this includes how you stack trays every
33:51packaging system whether disposable
33:53wraps or containers have weight limits
33:56they also may or may not allow stacking
33:58at all this is a common mistake Sterile
34:00Processing departments make by stacking
34:03too many trays on top of the other due
34:05to limited space limited space is not a
34:08good excuse you need to figure out your
34:10storage issues and request Financial
34:12Improvement through your chain of
34:14command sterile storage besides being
34:17the living location of sterile items is
34:19also the location in which cases are
34:21picked for the upcoming surgical
34:23procedures sterile Tech will use what is
34:25known as preference cards or pick sheets
34:28which are specific procedure needs often
34:31these are tailored to specific surgeons
34:33so you're able to pick exactly what that
34:35surgeon needs for their specific
34:38surgical case all items are stored in
34:40closable transport devices such as case
34:43carts and sent to the operating room to
34:45be used in a procedure and once it is
34:48used you guessed it the process starts
34:50again at the decontamination room
34:53Sterile Processing is a very intricate
34:55and often well oiled machine that
34:57completes a variety of complicated tasks
35:00that are essential to patient safety and
35:03patient life Improvement the job is
35:05fastpaced detail oriented and highly
35:08rewarding knowing that you are making a
35:10difference in so many lives
35:13unfortunately this video though it's
35:15longer than my normal videos is way too
35:18short to cover stero processing in depth
35:21if any of the topics interested you and
35:23you want to dive further check out my
35:26library of other videos on YouTu YouTube
35:28that go into greater detail over many
35:30different Sterile Processing subjects if
35:33you're interested in becoming a sterile
35:35processing technician click the first
35:37link in the description to get your
35:38online training started right away you
35:41can become a sterile processing Tech in
35:43as little as 4 months and lastly if you
35:46are already a sterile processing
35:47technician but you're not certified
35:50check out the sterile guy.com to get
35:52practice tests and flashcards that help
35:55prepare you for the certification exam
35:57if you if you liked this video please
35:59consider subscribing and give the video
36:01a like any topics or videos you want to
36:04see leave those in the comments down
36:06below thanks for watching the video I
36:09love you guys and I'll catch you in the
36:11next one
36:13[Music]
36:26[Music]

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