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In my travels, I find that facilities that take steps to ensure steam quality will eliminate their staining issues immediately. If there is lime buildup, this is a clear sign that the system needs to be treated by reverse osmosis or deionized water. You can tell if your steam has a problem by looking at the hospital’s sterilizer. Either way, a thorough wash and some scrubbing general brings the instruments right back to their desired state. Another possibility is the buildup of detergent build up from instrument cleaning and inadequate removal of soap residues. In most instances, staining is a byproduct of poor steam quality and the unwanted addition of magnesium and calcium accumulating during the sterilization process. Staining can be a result of a number of different variables. This is good news because, despite the initial appearance, staining does not impact the sterility of the instrument or put the patient at greater risk.
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Most commonly, that discoloration comes right off and that means it is merely staining. If the discoloration cannot be removed, then it could potentially be rust and you should reach out to your instrument provider to determine next quality assurance steps to take. One easy way to do this is to use an instrument care wipe to see if the brown coloring on the instrument can be removed. So the sterile processing team needs to take additional measures to test for rust. As we know, rust is a big issue and can cause infection. In many sterile processing departments, employees will discover the brown spots and first assume it is rust.
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So what to do next? Here are some things to keep in mind: The Central Sterile and Operating Room personnel may have anywhere from a basic knowledge to a very detailed knowledge of the workings and Instructions For Use (IFU) of their equipment. There is even more scrutiny to make sure every aspect within the hospital is performing at its best. Department of Health & Human Services to even Consumer Reports’ compiling its own list of hospital rankings by tracking hospital infection records as HAIs are now the nation’s eighth leading cause of death, just behind diabetes.² It turns out that this is a common problem and that instrument staining occurs daily in hospitals all across the country and in recent years, The Joint Commission has increased its efforts to promote how important the role of Central Sterile is in preventing Health Care-Acquired Infections (HAIs).¹ Hospitals are under the microscope from the U. It can be an alarming sight: brown discoloration of stainless steel instruments that have already been cleaned and sterilized for use in the operating room.