Sterilization Error Delays Surgical Procedures
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Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center 3805 Old Eaton Road, Doylestown PA 18902 Telephone 888-375-7876 Facsimile 888-375-7875 Email info@susl.co.uk Website www.susl.co.uk FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 2015 Sterilization Error Delays Surgical Procedures Around 80 of 96 surgical procedures were put on hold at a hospital in Halifax, Canada this month due to a sterilization error that led to the presence of black debris on surgical equipment intended to be used on patients. The investigation into the source of the dirt is ongoing and still indefinite, but the hospital reports that it was an issue in the sterilization process that does not appear to be human error. Although the hospital’s Senior Director Karen Mumford has said that not all sterile trays are affected, almost all scheduled procedures were delayed. The most urgent procedures went ahead with the use of equipment that had been sterilized at other facilities. Many hospitals across the globe have switched to the use of single use surgical devices to replace difficult-to-clean instruments due to the fact that errors such as these do not occur, saving the hospital time alongside transportation and sterilization costs. Michael Denver, Export Manager at Single Use Surgical a company that offers single-use instruments, commented on the incident: “whilst we are unsure of the source of this debris. From our experience, we know that there are instruments in everyday use worldwide with fine narrow lumens that really cannot be guaranteed clean. We work closely with reprocessing and clinical teams to ensure that these instruments are replaced with high quality single use alternatives that protect patients against cross infection and prevent delays to procedures.” Single Use Surgical will be exhibiting a range of single use suction tubes, kerrison rongeurs and vein th hooks at booth 242 at the 50 annual IAHCSMM conference May 3 – 6 of this year in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Please contact info@susl.co.uk for more information ---END---

Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center 3805 Old Eaton Road, Doylestown PA 18902 Telephone 888-375-7876 Facsimile 888-375-7875 Email info@susl.co.uk Website www.susl.co.uk About Single Use Surgical, Inc. Single Use Surgical provides an alternative to reprocessing instruments with narrow channels. It offers a wide range of disposable suction tubes for use in delicate surgery. The company’s focus on high quality, ergonomic design and customer support provides hospitals with a cost-effective alternative to difficult-to-clean instruments. Switching to single-use also reduces the volume of complex...