Reprocessing is a relatively new critical discipline that requires a multidisciplinary approach. After a surgical procedure the instrument needs to be processed such that it is suitable for safe reuse in a patient. The basic requirement is that the instrument meets all of its design specifications as well as being clean and sterile. Each instrument needs to be cleaned and sterilized. After an initial decontamination the instrument must be inspected to make sure it is in good repair.

Unfortunately, the instructions supplied by manufactures are sometimes vague. In our laboratory we carefully design experiments to prove that the instrument is clean to a very high level. Therefore instructions for cleaning can be written that are clear and precise. For example, after challenging the instrument with artificial soil in a very extreme manner we can demonstrate that after either a manual or automated cleaning process the soil is reduced by 99.8 to 99.9% using precise, validated analytical tests for protein and total organic carbon.

One of the major issues facing health care facilities today is the ability to provide quick, efficient turnaround time for reprocessing of their surgical and diagnostic instruments. Cost, reliability and validation of the materials involved can be a constant headache to hospital administrators and their technical staff, and draws away critical personnel from their key function, the health of the patient.

Gibraltar Laboratories provides a cost effective, validated process for pickup, sterilization and return of key instruments to health care facilities throughout the area. Nightly pickup service, with overnight sterilization and morning return keeps the process of high quality health care on track at our clients’ facilities. Our validated sterilization program, performed under FDA CGMP guidelines, means you have the assurance that all critical testing issues have been addressed, and your patients’ health is in no way compromised. Those instruments found to not meet with the mechanical specifications you set are segregated from the tray, and returned to you for corrective action, without delaying the cleaning, sterilization cycle.