Case Medical, Now a Six Time U.S. EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year
We are so pleased to be selected as a 2023 Safer Choice Partner of the Year for manufacurer / formulator. Our parternship with the EPA extends more than a decade promoting safer, and sustainable instrument chemistries...
The Mystery of the White Mist
More and more containers and devices are being processed in cart washers using standard cycles with recycled water (sometimes softened) and a new dose of chemical agent each time it’s run. We are told to wash off fruits and vegetables during food preparation or we can get sick from fungicides and other toxic pesticides...
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that had made all the difference"
Should, can, may, must… Healthcare is an industry that is highly regulated. And there are regulatory requirements that should be met for manufacturers and users, for the benefit of the patient. There are various products and processes available in sterile processing for the same intended purpose, whether it’s for decontamination, sterilization, or for surgical and patient care procedures. Where things get messy is when faced with conflicting messages...
Case Medical, Thirty-one Years and Counting
Yesterday we updated our signature block to reflect the beginning of a new decade in the life of Case Medical. Given all the projects we are working on and the upgrades with new equipment on the manufacturing floor, I nearly forgot that this week is our 31st anniversary...
Less is Best When it Comes to Instrument Processing
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...
When the Sterile Barrier is Compromised
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...
Chemical catastrophe in our own backyard... We can do better
According to the American Sustainable Business Network, “Many common personal care products contain chemicals linked to a broad range of serious health impacts. Exposures are numerous and frequent, and small exposures can have large consequences. Consumers have been demanding change. Responsible businesses are using safer alternatives.” A pending New York law would boost momentum nationally by banning many of the worst chemicals and driving innovation for safer alternatives…
Science, Sterile Processing, and the Search for Planet B
Are we alone in the universe?
We may find the answer in the next decade or two relying on clues which science provides to help us find the way. This includes balancing what we understand about our planet and recognizing what we know are the critical elements for life.
Next month, the launch of the Webb telescope might give us the means to discover whether we find another earth out there, a Planet B. The search for Planet B is complicated. Nevertheless we know that even in its most extreme conditions, life is carbon based, liquid water is the solvent for biochemistry, and DNA is the code for genetic information. The building blocks for life, hydrogen, oxygen and carbon are found abundantly in the universe. So what does this have to do with Sterile Processing?
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