Wrap each complete syringe in a double muslin wrapper.
When glassware, tubes, medicine glasses, and beakers are part of a sterile tray, wrap each glass item in gauze before placing it in the tray.
Suture materials are available in two major categories: absorbable and nonabsorbable. Absorbable suture materials can be digested by the tissues during the healing process. Absorbable sutures are made from collagen, an animal protein derived from healthy animals, or from synthetic polymers. Nonabsorbable suture materials are those that effectively resist the enzymatic digestion process in living tissue. These sutures are made of metal or other inorganic materials. In both types, each strand of specifically sized suture material is uniform in diameter and is predictable in performance.
Modern manufacturing processes make all suture materials available in individual packages, presterilized, with or without a surgical needle attached. Once opened, do not desterilize either the individual package or an individual strand of suture material. The only exception to this rule involves the use of surgical stainless steel. This material is often provided in unsterile packages or tubes. Individual strands or entire packages must be sterilized before use.
Rubber Latex Materials
Rubber tubing is to be washed in an antiseptic detergent solution.
Pay attention to the inside of the tubing. Rinse all tubing well and place it flat or loosely coiled in a wrapper or container.
When packing latex surgical drains for sterilization, place a piece of gauze in the lumen of the drain. Never desterilize surgical drains.
Rubber catheters bearing a disposable label must never be desterilized.
Sterile disposable surgeons (rubber) gloves are for one time use only and are never desterilized.
Handling Sterile Articles
When you are changing a dressing, removing sutures, or preparing the patient for a surgical procedure, it will be necessary to establish a sterile field from which to work. The field should be established on a stable, clean, flat, dry surface. Wrappers from sterile articles may be used as a sterile field as long as the inside of the wrapper remains sterile. If the size of the wrapper does not provide a sufficient working space for the sterile field, use a sterile towel. Nothing but sterile articles and supplies are placed on this field. Once established, the field is touched only by those persons who have donned sterile gloves. The following basic rules must be adhered to:
An article is either sterile or unsterile. There is no in-between. If there is doubt about the sterility of an item, consider it unsterile.
Any time the sterility of a field has been broached, the contaminated field and setup must be replaced.
Do not open sterile articles until they are ready for use.
Do not leave sterile articles unattended once they are opened and placed on a sterile field. Do not return sterile articles to a container once they are removed from the container.
Never reach over a sterile field.
When pouring sterile solutions into sterile containers or basins, do not touch the sterile container with the solution bottle. Once opened, bottles of liquids must be entirely used when first poured. If any liquid is left in the bottle, discard it.
Never use an outdated article. Unwrap it, inspect it, and if reusable, rewrap it in a new wrapper for sterilization.
Surgical Hand Scrub
The purpose of the surgical hand scrub is to reduce resident and transient skin flora (bacteria) to a minimum. Resident bacteria are often the result of organisms present in the hospital environment. Because these bacteria are firmly attached