Central sterile services department

The central sterile services department (CSSD), also called sterile processing department (SPD), sterile processing, central supply department (CSD), or central supply, is an integrated place in hospitals and other health care facilities that performs sterilization and other actions on medical devices, equipment and consumables; for subsequent use by health workers in the operating theatre of the hospital and also for other aseptic procedures, e.g. catheterization, wound stitching and bandaging in a medical, surgical, maternity or paediatric ward.
The operations of a sterile services department usually consist of the cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization of reusable medical equipment. Reusable medical equipment, or RME, can consist of any medical equipment from stainless steel surgical instrumentation, to IV pumps and crash carts. RME is separated into three classes:
Non-critical items, such as IV poles and pumps,require a minimum of intermediate level disinfection which can be accomplished with most hospital disinfectants.
These items require high level disinfectants such as glutaraldehyde solution, peracetic acid, or hydrogen peroxide plasma. Critical items, which include any instrument which will be introduced into a patient blood stream or in a normally sterile area of the body, require sterilization.
Sterilization is the process of destroying all living organisms on an item and is the main task of most sterile services departments. Items to be sterilized must first be cleaned in a separatedecontamination room and inspected for effectiveness, cleanliness and damage. There are multiple methods of sterilization, and which one is used is dependent on many factors including: operational cost, potential hazards to workers, efficacy, time, and composition of the materials being sterilized.
Sterilization can also be achieved using ethylene oxide (ETO) gas. This process was created in the 1950s by the US military and is used on items that cannot withstand the high temperatures of steam sterilization. ETO sterilization takes far longer than steam sterilization and is hazardous to workers, so alternative methods were created in the 1990s. The most common method for sterilizing at low temperatures today is by using hydrogen peroxide plasma, which has near zero risk to workers and cycles take a fraction of the time of ETO sterilization.
Decontamination is the most important step in the sterilization process beginning with point of use cleaning in the operating room. Items must be cleaned according to the manufacturer's instructions for use (IFU's). These must be followed for each item processed. Failure to properly clean a device will prevent sterilization from occurring. There are several factors that contribute to having a properly functioning [decontamination] area: [1] there must be proper dilution of detergents or damage to instruments will occur to include rusting and discoloration. [2] lumens are a big issue so there must be an assortment of brushes with varying lengths and diameters to thoroughly clean inside lumen instruments. [3] SPD staff need to be competent in the use of all processing equipment. [4] monthly in-service should be recurring and completed by the manufacturer's representative. [5] efficacy testing of the equipment should be completed and documented ensuring equipment is functioning as intended.Safety in the Operating Room Begins with Sterile Processing.
A sterile processing technician is someone who cleans and sterilizes used surgical instruments and other medical supplies so that they can be safely redistributed and reused on future patients. This work is usually centralized in a special department of the medical facility. Job titles include the following:
Sterile processing departments are typically divided into four major areas to accomplish the functions of decontamination, assembly and sterile processing, sterile storage, and distribution.