1. Autoclaving Linen Packs Flashcards
What are some types of wrapping material used for packs?
cotton or linen, paper
What are the ideal qualities of wrapping materials?
Sustain heat and moisture used in sterilization process
Selectively permeable to allow sterilization to occur w/o allowing microbes or dust to penetrate the pack after sterilization
Durable - resistant to damage when handling
Flexible - allows it to conform to shape of the enclosed linens or instruments
Wrap should remain flat after pack is opened to prevent contaminatng the contents of the pack
What must you do before each use of a wrap pack?
must be laundered and examined for wear b4 use - replace linens that are worn or ripped
How do we wrap a pack?
Always consistent, tabs towards outer edges of pack
1. Lay 2 wraps (one on top of the other) in a diamond so lower point @ you
2. Fold lower corner first (near you), make a tab
3. Next fold the right corner, make tab
4. Fold L corner, make tab
5. Fold upper corner (furthest), make tab
6. Repeat for second wrap - make sure inner wrap is in current orientation (visible tab facing you) b4 u start)
To open, face tabs towards your L hip and then open in the direction of the tab visible, do not reach over field or touch contents
What are the components of a linen pack?
Gown, Hand towel, Steam chemical Indicator strip
Steam indicator tape - indicator to demonstrate that conditions were met for sterilization, secures the wrap to prevent it from being opened prematurely, date, content, initials
How do we fold hand towels?
- Lay flat in landscape orientation
- Fold towel in half, lengthwise, folded edge facing you.
- Divide towel into thirds. Fold L side over middle
- Fold R side over towel so it lines up with the fold you made in previous step
- Take top L corner, line it up w/ corner diagonal to it
- Rotate hand towel so tab is facing L hip
- Fold top half of towel down (away from you), leaving your triangular tab exposed
How do you fold gowns?
- Place gown on table w/ outside gown facing you and inside facing table. Neck of gown to your left, hem(green) to your R. Cross arms down center of gown.
- Bring outer edge of the Lgst side (closest to you), across front of gown and sleeves, so “armpit” seam now edge closest to you. Smooth gown for no wrinkles
3.Take free edge you pulled over front of gown, and acordian it back on itself so now lined up w/ armpit seam in step 2
4.Take edge closest to u, fold away from urself towards center of the gown again. Armpit seam now in center of gown. Ensure that the tie is visible and not folded inside of gown
5.Grab outer edge of gown on side furthest away from u. Fold edge towards the middle of the gown. Straight armpit seam on the far side of the gown should be visible.
6.Take edge of seam that was just pulled to center of the gown, accordion fold it back onto self to align w/ armpit seam furthest away from u. Ensure tie visible and not folded in gown
7.Grab gown @ center seam w/ one hand near neck and hem. Lift to fold in half and flip so center seam ur holding is farthest away from you. Ties away from you
8.Make slip knot tie
9.Folding gown in an accordion by bringing bottom edge of gown up to neck portion, gown now folded in half length wise
10.Take hem of gown, fold back on itself (1/2 gown is in 3 layers and the neck half of gown is a single layer) - Grab center of gown (where varying layers meet) flip gown so that neck is now on top of 3 layers. Tuck In neck ties neatly
- Place towel on top so “ear” is at the neck for easy accessq
What are the 3 dependant factors of sterilization?
- proper operation of autoclave
- proper preparation of the packs
- proper loading of the autoclave
What is the basis of how autoclaves (gravity air-displacement sterilizers) work to sterilize their surgical packs?
distilled water is placed in bottom and autoclave is sealed
water is heated until turns into steam and forces air out thru a port
after air is out, steam pressure builds until operating temp is reached
system will stay at this temp and pressure for a preset amount of time
Once cycle complete, steam removed and condenses to water
~15 to reach proper temp, 3-15 for sterilization
Door should be cracked open @ end of cycle for about 15 m - allows moisture to evaporate and prevent condensation of pack
Allow packs to cool b4 use
What is flash sterilization?
Abbreviated version of sterilization process?
Instruments not wrapped and are generally done 1-2 instruments @ a time
Autoclave set to 272f, 31psi, and 4 m
Dry cycle is shortened bc no linen or paper is present - whole cycle only takes about 16m
Typically used if instruments have been dropped in surgery - not meant to replace regular stream sterilization
What is the proper preparation of the packs?
Packs should be prepared in a designated, low traffic area
Do not wrap too tight/loose
Don’t re-use crepe paper wraps
Use appropriate material for wrapping packs
Replacing over repairing worn wraps
Pack size must be compatible w/ size of autoclave chamber
How do we properly load the autoclave?
chamber must not be overloaded-steam needs to be able to penetrate thru to middle packs
Should be 1’ btw packs
packs should not be stacked directly on top of one another
Outer wraps of packs should not touch the inner surface of the chamber
Linen packs should be positioned @ edge of the chamber
Trays and instruments packs are to be laid flat
Bowls placed upside down to prevent water from being trapped inside them
peel packs are laid flat - plastic side down
What is pack expiration?
Shelf-life expiration - a pre-determined date that identifies how long an item can be considered sterile
Event-related expiration-determined from an environmental perspective
If a pack’s sterility is in question, it should be assumed that it is contaminated
What is the shelf-life expiration for double wrapped and peel packs?
Double-wrapped: 7wks in a closed cabinet
Peel packs: at least 1 yrWh
What is event-related expiration?
Packs that fall on the floor, covered in dust, or have strike-through
