The use of sterile surgical instruments is a cornerstone of surgery. It is mandatory that all surgical instruments should be sterile. There are many different choices available to maintain sterility of surgical instruments including rigid containers, peel pouches of plastic and/or paper, and sterilization wraps. Sterilization Wrap and sterilization self-sealing pouch are popularly used as part of surgical instruments.
Sterilization Wraps
A sterilization wrap is intended to allow sterilization of the enclosed medical device(s) and also to maintain sterility of the enclosed device(s) until opened. It is usually made of atleast a first panel of sterilization material and includes an additional panel of material. The first panel is typically multi-layered and includes at least one pathogen filtration layer. The outer periphery includes first, second, third and fourth edges. Some of the characteristics of an ideal wrap are puncture resistance, resistance to tearing, liquid resistance, flexibility, non-reactive, non-linting, non-toxic, stable, no odor, easy to use, transparency, non-restrictive waste disposal, and low cost in use.
Sterilization Self-Sealing Pouches
A Sterilization Self-Sealing Pouch provides an effective and safe solution against re-contamination after sterilization. They provide accurate and fast seal without the requirement of a heat sealing machines. These pouches are made from a variety of materials including paper, nylon, and plastic. All of these materials are specifically chosen to allow penetration of chemicals, heat, vapor, or steam. These pouches are more suitable in small general practices, dental surgeries and by user who wish to prevent the costs of sealing equipment. These are generally made from transparent PET/PP multi-layer co-polymer film, medical grade paper and adhesive strip.Some of the feature of quality sterilization self-sealing pouch are use of quality medical paper, laminated film, indicators STEAM and EO (water based, not toxic) and conformity with international standards.
It is important to carefully choose sterilization instruments as any flaw may lead to failure to allow the instruments to be sterilized and then to maintain their sterility may result in surgical site infections.
