White residue on devices, sticky film on instruments, retained bioburden… Excessive use of chemicals can interfere with the processing of reusable devices. Some pre-treatment gels lock in soil, other cleaning agents are corrosive, and those used in cart washers may be simply too much, especially when drying or sheeting agents leave behind an organic film that can interfere with low temperature sterilization...

Each week we send a blog that has updated information about current issues and concerns relevant to healthcare professionals, specifically SPD, OR and Materials. Often our goal is to reinforce best practices, but today we would like you to reconsider a practice or “Sacred Cow” that can apply to other container systems, but not to our SteriTite containers...

During the past two decades, sterilization containers have replaced wrapped trays and even peel pouches. Containers come in a full range of sizes and configurations that meet the specifications of the devices to be sterilized. When compared to disposable wrap and peel pouches, containers save money, contribute to the bottom line, and provide the ultimate in instrument protection and sterility maintenance, but how long do they last...

In a hospital setting, drug resistant strains of bacteria are a growing problem. Staphylococcus is an especially opportunistic pathogen. When immunity is lowered, it can cause all types of infections. Most antibiotics, even the latest and greatest, are not effective against “super bugs”. Some staph infections no longer respond, or become resistant, to common antibiotics.

Spring is here and with it a time of renewal. The time for spring cleaning is at hand, however, it’s become apparent that limiting exposure to various chemicals, toxins and pollutants is also important. We’ve learned much about the detrimental effects various chemicals have on our health. Many cleaning products marketed as “green,” “natural” or “eco-friendly” actually contain chemicals that are known carcinogens, endocrine-disruptors or lung and skin irritants. For instance, awareness around the negative reproductive and development effects of BPA (bisphenol A) in plastics and other unregulated chemicals like phthalates is growing, there is still a lot of work to be done to make sure that our health is protected.

T’was the night before surgery... And all through the SPD every set was in blue wrap as far as the eye could see. The peel packs were sorted for surgery with care… In hopes that the surgeon soon would be there.

The Year Was 1924: The American car market was reaching its saturation point, when everyone who wanted and could afford a car had one. To deal with the problem of slowing sales of new cars an executive at General Motors came up with annual model-year design changes. The idea was to convince car owners to buy new cars every year, ...

1992 Trivia, History and Fun Facts: The Top Song was I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston, Johnny Carson was host of the “Tonight Show”, Elle Macpherson was THE fashion icon, and Case Medical is started by Marcia Frieze and her husband Allan. Looking Back; a lot has changed in 30 years, the music we listen to, trends and style in fashion, even the long running “Tonight Show” has had 2 new hosts since 1992. But you know what hasn’t changed in all that time? Case Medical’s commitment to putting patients and people first with products that perform better, last longer and are more ecologically sustainable than the rest. Back in 1992, before recycling was even a thing, and global warming were two words never paired together, Case Medical was making its products from 100%...

A Global Health Emergency - Last week marked the beginning of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. It was also a week when we learned that the virus which causes COVID-19 has continued to evolve into new subvariants. In fact, two of them have been detected in all 48 continental U.S. states. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 account for nearly half of the COVID-19...

Remember the scene in the Graduate when Dustin Hoffman’s future father-in-law tells him to go into PLASTICS, the growing industry at the time, one of mankind’s greatest innovations.  When we started Case Medical thirty years ago manufacturing custom trays out of metal, we were told the same thing.  PLASTIC was the best material for all things in our industry…