Belimed Blog

This blog dives into the important factors to remember when it comes to manuals, and how to use them and why having them available to your staff is critical. 

Achieving reliable cleaning results requires a delicate balance of four factors: action, temperature, concentration, and time. Understanding and managing these factors is essential for thorough cleaning of surgical instruments and medical devices.

The equipment will only operate as well as the utilities supplied to them allow. This means having your utility supplies in specification with the requirements found in each device’s technical manual.

Ultrasonic cleaning is a common method of cleaning in a variety of industries. The sound waves are used to cause a phenomenon called cavitation, which provides the powerful scrubbing action observed in an ultrasonic washer.

Each variety of cleaning chemistry comes with specific reprocessing instructions that must be adhered to. Many of these variances as well as department workflows will determine the type of dosing best for your department.

Proper cleaning of lumens, crevices, channels and ports can be very time consuming and requires the use of proper cleaning tools such as delicate channel brushes or lumen flushing systems.

The reprocessing of medical devices and surgical instruments has evolved rapidly over the years. Let us look at some of the essential things to remember when working in the field.

The most adverse element to proper steam sterilization is the presence of air (non-condensable gasses) inside the chamber. Air shields the items being sterilized from the steam inside of the chamber preventing surgical instruments from being properly sterilized.

As we see the development of medical devices becoming more and more complex, our reprocessing equipment, solutions, resources, and tools must also evolve to support each device’s unique needs.

Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages through both verbal or nonverbal means. Being aware of the challenges that come with communication, when working in a fast-paced environment, can help frontline workers be more aware and effective.

An important part of any automated washer is its detergent dosing system. The reliable performance of this system is critical to the cleaning and disinfection process performed by the washer. This not only keeps surgical instruments clean but also increases their overall lifespan. Failure to dose properly can cause cycle failures and improperly cleaned instruments.

The ‘just right’ amount of water can be hard to determine. Variables such as wash rack size and the number of instruments being cleaned will change this optimal level. The optimal water volume required to clean a lightly loaded washer will be different than what is required to clean one with a heavy load.

All medical equipment and device manufacturers must understand that not all SPDs are the same and require unique processes, support, and even training. Every SPD must provide some form of continuous education to ensure the knowledge and skills of the existing staff members is relevant and up to date.

Did you know, with the right care, the expected useful life of surgical instruments can be well over 20 years? This is, of course, when they are maintained properly. Cleaning surgical instruments is not just a task, but an art that influences their lifespan tremendously.

At Belimed we focus on the patient and their safety. We designed our new digital solution, SmartHub, to monitor the processes required for people and machines to deliver the highest possible quality and ensure the highest levels of efficiency in the CSSD.

Consumables play an integral part in sterile processing. Even a small issue can shut an entire Sterile Processing Department (SPD) down. That’s why Belimed Protect® consumables reinforce our commitment to keeping sterile processing environments highly efficient and healthy.

Belimed’s top priority is ensuring that a customer’s SPD is as effective and efficient as possible. We wholeheartedly endorse partnering with an experienced consultant to help you understand what’s in your best interest given your data, logistics, and goals.

Selecting the right equipment is a crucial part of making an SPD as efficient as possible. The right steam sterilization equipment can provide an SPD with outstanding performance without the potentially high costs of maintenance.

Belimed's Planning and Design team of engineers aspires to fully understand each customer's needs, analyze the possibilities, and design the most efficient and safe sterile processing environment for your facility and staff.

Belimed provides hospitals, off site processing facilities, and surgical centers with the products and solutions they need to ensure that their CSSD is operating successfully.

Belimed Infection Control has a full range of services and solutions to help you design, equip, maintain, and manage your Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD).

Belimed, Inc. is a global company who supports the healthcare industry and provides products, along with solutions, to many different countries. Understanding the differences in our customers’ departments, their challenges and their procedures is essential to our success

Sterilized items should not be released for use until they have had the proper time to cool, in a dedicated area with minimum traffic and air flow. Each item should be inspected and verified by the reprocessing personnel before releasing back to the end user.

What does it mean to have a wet pack in your sterile processing department? Belimed will help you through the troubleshooting steps and investigation methods it requires to identify the source of a wet pack issue.

It is important for all reprocessing departments to promote the drying of their devices, because this directly relates to inhibiting microbial growth, and the prevention of biofilm formation.

Successful sterilization loading, unloading and handling practices all contribute to safer outcomes for sterile processing professionals as well as the patients being taken care of.

Take a look at how ergonomics are relevant to the world of medical device preparation for CSSD.

Successful sterilization can only occur if primary steps are taken to clean the medical devices and surgical instruments.

Successful workplace relationships among any working environment can make or break the overall success of the team. A partnership is a relationship between parties that involves a mutual goal and includes some form of defined responsibilities.

When planning a project that could be costly and possibly disruptive to your workin wnvironment and team, it’s absolutely essential to have an accurate plan in place to support that plan.

Any CSSD should be provided with detailed insights regarding surgical instrument tracking software and other tools available within their organization that can help gain improve the processes they are a part of.

Understanding key infection control practices will help any CSSD professional understand the importance of indirect patient care and how their responsibilities directly relate to the patient’s care outcomes.

The role of everyone working in SPD is important and critical, because “surgery can’t take place without sterile surgical instrumentation."

Let’s take a look at some of the eye-opening facts about this fast paced and ever evolving field.

Education and training can be delivered in a variety of ways in almost every healthcare environment. To gain the best results, there must be healthier training tactics in the sterile processing (SP) sector.

The sterile processing (SP) environment is not only technical and challenging but can be hazardous to those working there every day. Each SP professional has a responsibility to focus on creating and maintaining a safe working environment for them and their peers.

Being proactive when it comes to maintenance really boils down to a couple main factors in sterile processing. Being proactive means that you should complete a routine assessment of the equipment being used and follow, and execute, the protocols outlined by the manual.

As a company dedicated to the reprocessing of medical devices, we understand the significance of providing the best quality devices, as they have a direct impact on patient care. Here are some enlightening facts worth considering!

The purpose of the accreditation survey process is to validate compliance of the work the healthcare organization and its personnel is doing. The necessary steps for becoming prepared in the SPD should be discussed in advance of the facility’s next scheduled visit.

To become a better critical thinker, it’s important to ask questions when presented with a problem. We can use critical thinking to better handle complex situations and resolve problems more effectively

Because of the high volumes of personnel, and contaminated items that pass through the SPD, it is important to practice safe and structured processes to ensure the environment and surfaces are not contaminated.

Surgical instruments are one of the most significant financial investments for healthcare facilities. Proper care should be considered to prolong their useful life and ensure their correct clinical use.

We take a look at how to incorporate the use of PAR (periodic automatic replacement) levels in the inventory of a sterile processing department to ensure the best possible fulfillment.

The set of detailed instructions that accompanies all medical devices are known as the manufacturer’s instructions for use, M-IFU. It is extremely important for sterile processing staff to be provided with these instructions so they can complete their responsibilities.