Sterile Processing

Using new cold plasma technology which he developed in the Plasma Engineering Research Lab (PERL) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Dr. Magesh Thiyagarajan is stopping these killer bacteria before they find a host.

The risk of infection should never be cause for concern, andas healthcare professionals we must maintain the public trust by providing safe, high-quality care through evidence-based infection prevention standards, processes and practice. Human error can be mitigated through education, ongoing training and meticulous attention to reprocessing standards. SGNA seeks to assist endoscopy units in providing and maintaining the highest infection prevention standards through training, resources and programs designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of the GI professional.

In October 2011, more than 275 participants convened at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., for a multidisciplinary Medical Device Reprocessing Summit sponsored by the FDA in collaboration with the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI). The fall 2011 summit built on an FDA public workshop on reprocessing in summer 2011. For all participants, the summit proved to be an opportunity for a renewed emphasis on performing all the necessary steps in reprocessing reusable medical devices to ensure clean and disinfected or sterilized devicesnot just in the universe of regulations, standards, and best practices, but also in the harried clinical environments and diverse sterile processing centers that are ground zero for reprocessing.

The International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM) has long been an outspoken advocate of state certification of central service (CS) professionals. Certification and continuing education credits keep technicians up-to-date on standards-based instrument processing practices, so these professionals can be skilled, competent and confident in their ability to keep patient safety and quality at the forefront.

Virginia Tech scientists have provided new evidence that biofilms bacteria that adhere to surfaces and build protective coatings are at work in the survival of the human pathogen Salmonella.