Good professional judgment should be used to limit the number of minor surgical procedures performed on a single animal. It is often not possible to have a fresh pack of sterile instruments available for repetitive rodent surgeries. Thus, resterilization or decontamination procedures must be available. Available methods of sterilization include steam heat, ethylene oxide gas, glass bead, and chemical agents. Glass bead sterilizers will sterilize only the portion of the instrument placed in the beads.
All chemical agents require rinsing with sterile solutions prior to tissue contact.
The effectiveness of chemical sterilizing agents is currently under review by various government agencies and it appears that the manufacturers' recommendations will change. Instruments must be kept on sterile non-porous drapes during use. Instruments must be cleaned of blood and debris by brushing or wiping with sterile water or saline and sterile gauze sponges between surgeries. If a chemical agent is used, instruments must be rinsed with sterile water or saline before being used on the next animal. Surgical gloves and blades should be changed between each animal or after contamination.