Preparing and Packaging
● The preparation and packaging area of the sterile processing department is known as
the clean area.
● Responsibilities in this area include assembling and packaging medical equipment and
supplies for sterilization.
● Sterilization packaging is designed to allow for sufficient penetration of the sterilization
agent. If the sterilant can’t penetrate the packaging, then the items inside the package
aren’t considered sterile.
Packaging materials have distinct characteristics:
Woven and Non-Woven Material:
● Woven material- Woven textiles, or muslin, are made from 100 percent cotton and
140-thread. Unfortunately, they’re very poor barriers against certain contaminants.
● Non-woven material- Include those made of plastic or cellulose. Non-woven materials
act as a good barrier against many contaminants.
To be considered effective:
○ Must be strong and durable.
○ Allow for air to be removed from the package.
○ Act as a barrier against microorganisms.
○ Keep out moisture.
● Two of the most common wrapping methods are the square and envelope folds.
● These methods can be done using a sequential or simultaneous wrap method.
○ Sequential- Uses two wraps; one wrap is used to wrap a device followed by
wrapping the device a second time with another wrap.
○ Simultaneous- Occurs when two sheets are used to wrap an item, rather than
just one sheet at a time.
Rigid Containers
● Quite versatile and durable containers that package numerous surgical instruments.
● Tamper-evident locks on rigid containers allow technicians to visually see whether a
container has been compromised.
Rigid containers are composed of the following components:
○ Gaskets- Maintain a tight seal on the sterilizer door.
○ Filter-Retention Plates- Hold the filters in place.
○ Handles- Used to obtain and carry rigid containers.
○ Locks and Latches- Secure the lids to the rigid containers.
○ Load-Control Lot Numbers- Used in the case of a sterilization recall and identifies
the instruments processed in a specific load.
Peel Pouches
● Paper-plastic pouches or peel pouches are often used for single or lightweight items that
need to be processed.
● Some medical items may be placed in double-peel pouches.
, Other Packaging Principles
● Peel pouches, wrapping material, and rigid containers may not be used to package the
same device.
● Multiple heavy instruments should be packaged in a rigid container for optimum
sterilization.
● Microscopic instruments should be packaged away from heavy items to prevent
damage.
● Single items can be packaged using paper-plastic pouches, but those items should not
be too heavy.
● Loaner trays come from vendors and can be wrapped either simultaneously or
sequentially before being sterilized.
Point-of-Use Disinfection and Sterilization
Steam Sterilization
● Steam sterilization, or steam under pressure sterilization, is the most efficient and
cost-effective process for sterilizing surgical instruments.
Three parameters must be measured during the sterilization process:
○ Time- If a load requires a minimum of 10 minutes of exposure during the steam
sterilization cycle, this must be verified.
○ Temperature- The temperature must also be verified.
○ Steam Under Pressure- The appropriate ratio of pounds to pressure during the
steam sterilization cycle must be documented and verified.
Sterilizer Components:
● Composed of a jacket, drain, chamber, sterilization rack, and baffle plate.
○ Jacket- Responsible for dispersing heat to the chamber to sterilize surgical
instruments.
○ Drain- The thermometer is located in the drain, which is the coldest part of the
sterilizer.
○ Chamber- The sensor that’s housed in the drain is responsible for measuring
temperature and controls flow and condensate within the chamber of the
sterilizer.
○ Sterilization rack- Used to load up packaged instruments for sterilization. This
area stays warm and should be cleaned according to the manufacturers’
instructions.
○ Baffle plate- Positioned in front of the steam outlet, the baffle plate deflects steam
from entering the chamber to prevent wet packs.
Sterilizer Phases:
The four phases of the steam sterilization cycle are:
1. Conditioning Phase
○ In the conditioning phase, steam passes through the baffle plate once the air has
been removed from the chamber. Temperature and pressure gradually increase,
● The preparation and packaging area of the sterile processing department is known as
the clean area.
● Responsibilities in this area include assembling and packaging medical equipment and
supplies for sterilization.
● Sterilization packaging is designed to allow for sufficient penetration of the sterilization
agent. If the sterilant can’t penetrate the packaging, then the items inside the package
aren’t considered sterile.
Packaging materials have distinct characteristics:
Woven and Non-Woven Material:
● Woven material- Woven textiles, or muslin, are made from 100 percent cotton and
140-thread. Unfortunately, they’re very poor barriers against certain contaminants.
● Non-woven material- Include those made of plastic or cellulose. Non-woven materials
act as a good barrier against many contaminants.
To be considered effective:
○ Must be strong and durable.
○ Allow for air to be removed from the package.
○ Act as a barrier against microorganisms.
○ Keep out moisture.
● Two of the most common wrapping methods are the square and envelope folds.
● These methods can be done using a sequential or simultaneous wrap method.
○ Sequential- Uses two wraps; one wrap is used to wrap a device followed by
wrapping the device a second time with another wrap.
○ Simultaneous- Occurs when two sheets are used to wrap an item, rather than
just one sheet at a time.
Rigid Containers
● Quite versatile and durable containers that package numerous surgical instruments.
● Tamper-evident locks on rigid containers allow technicians to visually see whether a
container has been compromised.
Rigid containers are composed of the following components:
○ Gaskets- Maintain a tight seal on the sterilizer door.
○ Filter-Retention Plates- Hold the filters in place.
○ Handles- Used to obtain and carry rigid containers.
○ Locks and Latches- Secure the lids to the rigid containers.
○ Load-Control Lot Numbers- Used in the case of a sterilization recall and identifies
the instruments processed in a specific load.
Peel Pouches
● Paper-plastic pouches or peel pouches are often used for single or lightweight items that
need to be processed.
● Some medical items may be placed in double-peel pouches.
, Other Packaging Principles
● Peel pouches, wrapping material, and rigid containers may not be used to package the
same device.
● Multiple heavy instruments should be packaged in a rigid container for optimum
sterilization.
● Microscopic instruments should be packaged away from heavy items to prevent
damage.
● Single items can be packaged using paper-plastic pouches, but those items should not
be too heavy.
● Loaner trays come from vendors and can be wrapped either simultaneously or
sequentially before being sterilized.
Point-of-Use Disinfection and Sterilization
Steam Sterilization
● Steam sterilization, or steam under pressure sterilization, is the most efficient and
cost-effective process for sterilizing surgical instruments.
Three parameters must be measured during the sterilization process:
○ Time- If a load requires a minimum of 10 minutes of exposure during the steam
sterilization cycle, this must be verified.
○ Temperature- The temperature must also be verified.
○ Steam Under Pressure- The appropriate ratio of pounds to pressure during the
steam sterilization cycle must be documented and verified.
Sterilizer Components:
● Composed of a jacket, drain, chamber, sterilization rack, and baffle plate.
○ Jacket- Responsible for dispersing heat to the chamber to sterilize surgical
instruments.
○ Drain- The thermometer is located in the drain, which is the coldest part of the
sterilizer.
○ Chamber- The sensor that’s housed in the drain is responsible for measuring
temperature and controls flow and condensate within the chamber of the
sterilizer.
○ Sterilization rack- Used to load up packaged instruments for sterilization. This
area stays warm and should be cleaned according to the manufacturers’
instructions.
○ Baffle plate- Positioned in front of the steam outlet, the baffle plate deflects steam
from entering the chamber to prevent wet packs.
Sterilizer Phases:
The four phases of the steam sterilization cycle are:
1. Conditioning Phase
○ In the conditioning phase, steam passes through the baffle plate once the air has
been removed from the chamber. Temperature and pressure gradually increase,
