Assembly Area Inspection and Standards

A clean area in the CSSD where surgical instruments are inspected for integrity, cleanliness, and functionality before being used.

Surgical instruments must be inspected for intactness, cleanliness, and functionality.

Trained professionals responsible for inspecting and handling surgical instruments in the assembly area.

Airflow outward from the assembly area to prevent contamination.

Standard for clean room ventilation in terms of particle concentration.

Daily cleaning is crucial to maintain sterile conditions.

A specific area within IAP for cleaning, separate from other areas.

Regular testing to ensure environmental quality remains within acceptable ranges.

Used in microbiological monitoring to detect potential contamination.

Predetermined levels of microorganisms considered acceptable in the IAP room, established by microbiologists or specialists, used as targets for testing results. This includes sampling when the facility is unoccupied.

Specific clothing requirements (scrub suits, head coverings, shoes) for personnel entering the IAP room, designed to minimize contamination of clean medical devices and the environment. Clothing must be changed daily or when visibly soiled.

Low-linting, comfortable attire worn daily to provide protection and keep the environment sterile, changed whenever visibly soiled or wet.

Clean, single-use, low-lint head coverings, used to cover hair and minimize microbial dispersal in IAP area. Must confine all hair and facial hair

Sturdy shoes used solely inside the IAP room and never outside to protect from contamination, including from items that may fall from work area.

Process of unloading clean and disinfected instruments/accessories from the washer-disinfector ready for use in the sterilization process, continuing from module 5.

Using conveyor belts to remove items from the washer.

Removing the washer carriage by hand using heat-resistant gloves.

Inspections made before further processing of cleaned items.

Items processed on the wrong cycle type (e.g., instrument container cycle).

Spray arms obstructed during the washing cycle preventing proper cleaning/disinfection.

Visible dirt or stains on processed items requiring rejection and reprocessing.

High levels of moisture on items due to possible reasons including blocked spray arms, incorrect loading, or WD settings issues.

Damage to items caused by spray arms or incompatibility issues with the Washer Disinfection (WD) method.

Items not fully disassembled, leading to inadequate cleaning and potential contamination.

Recording of load contents, non-conformances, and rejected loads, and reporting to theline manager.

Problems with the spray arm rotation during the cycle that result in insufficient cleaning & disinfection of load.

Matching the chosen cycle type to the load's items (e.g., surgical instruments vs. anesthetic equipment).

Checking the load for obvious damage, stains, or residue before processing.

If a small portion of items are not cleaned and/or dried, the entire load needs reprocessing.

Quality checks for items not processed in a washer-disinfector (WD).

Items with visible soil or staining are rejected.

Items requiring manual cleaning & disinfection must be completely dry before going to the IAP room.

Report any device damage or incorrect handling immediately.

Devices not properly disassembled are returned for reprocessing.

Manual cleaning, non-conformances and rejected items must be documented and reported.

Essential checks for cleanliness, damage, and functionality of surgical instruments after WD processing.

Use magnification when possible for thorough visual inspection of small debris or bioburden.

Crucially check items like joints, serrations, crevices, and hinges for cleanliness and function.

Check the proper operation of movable parts, jaws, teeth, ratchets, and cannulated devices.

Report any damaged, incomplete, or malfunctioning items immediately to the supervisor.

Check that all the individual components necessary are present in a sterilised set to ensure full function.

Run specific functional tests (e.g., telescopes or light cables) as stipulated by the manufacturer’s instructions.

Checking the sharpness of cutting tools like scissors, rongeurs, chisels, and curettes.

Inspecting the outer insulation coating of devices like diathermy forceps to make sure it is intact.

Used to check the insulation integrity of devices with outer coating, such as diathermy forceps.

Checking that all parts of the device move freely with no sticking joints.

Checking that the edges of clamping instruments meet without overlap and the teeth mesh correctly.

Checking the tightness of all screws on jointed instruments (RMD), because they can loosen during cleaning.

Computerized systems used for accurate tracking of devices and trays through the decontamination process.

Handheld devices connected to PCs used in the assembly area for tray tracking.

Automatic creation of a packing list for each tray when scanning its barcode label.

A label generated automatically with the serial number specific to a tray and procedure for tracking.

Alternative method for tracking devices and trays using pre-printed checklists and manual label guns.

Arranging items in trays from left to right based on the order they're needed during a procedure, ensuring efficiency.