The Evidence is Mounting: The Case For Sterilization Wrap vs. Rigid Containers

ALL STUDIES POINT TO THE FOLLOWING

• When rigid containers are in use, there is potential for instruments to become contaminated during storage and transportation.
• Rigid containers become less effective at maintaining sterility of instruments over time.
• While visual inspection of all SPS helps to identify sterility risks, additional mechanisms beyond visual inspection are critical to validating compliance. The water test is an effective and simple standardized functionality test that can be used in conjunction with visual inspection.

1. STUDY: Measurement of the microbial barrier effectiveness of sterilization containers in terms of the log reduction value for prevention of nosocomial infections
   AUTHOR: Hartmut Dunkleberg, MD and Friederike-Glende, MS
   LOCATION: Goettingen, Germany
   DATE: June 2006
   82% of containers tested showed contamination.
2. STUDY: Containers: reducing the risk of tightness failures
   AUTHOR: Fredy Cavin
   LOCATION: Lausanne, Switzerland
   DATE: October 2015
   Containers with no maintenance had 60% failure, while containers with maintenance had 11% failure.
3. STERILITY MAINTENANCE STUDY: Dynamic Evaluation of Sterilized Rigid Containers and Wrapped Instrument Trays to prevent bacterial Ingress*
   AUTHOR: Harry L. Shaffer MS, Delbert A. Harnish MS, Michael McDonald MS, Reid Vernon BS, and Brian K. Heimbuch MS
   LOCATION: Panama City, FL
   DATE: December 2015
   87% of containers tested showed contamination, and failures became more drastic and more frequent as containers aged.
4. STUDY: Evaluating the Benefit of the water leak test for the inspection of sterilized containers
   AUTHOR: Decarout L., Lambert C.LOCATION: Chambery, France
   DATE: September 2017
   Study findings demonstrated a significant correlation between containers with water leak failure and post sterilization microbial ingression.

* Research was funded by Halyard and conducted by Applied Research Associates, an international research laboratory. Halyard did not have any direct involvement in execution of the study. The study took place in an independent laboratory in Panama City, FL, and the study was conducted by independent researchers.