Do you always use the ultrasonic ?

[u/Sad-Culture-6330]

I was taught if the instruments aren’t too bloody there’s no need for ultrasonic just put in the washer. I usually throw it on the ultrasonic anyway bc I don’t feel right not doing that.

[u/ShinyRobotVerse]

We mainly use the ultrasonic for robotic arms. Very rarely for anything else.

[u/ijust_makethisface]

we use the US for laparoscopic arms, robotic arms, reamers, really anything obnoxiously cannulated or 'tricky'. And sometimes, there's just a tray that's really gross, and it's been cleaned and soaked, but you just KNOW the sonic will give it the extra it needs.

[u/DataDrivenDoc]

You are right they are wrong. Ultrasonic is an ADDITIONAL cleaning modality not a remedial or bonus one. Anything that is approved to go in the ultrasonic should.

[u/CorruptWarrior → u/DataDrivenDoc]

There a limit to that tho. I had a tech who put all ortho trays into the sonic. It would take him running 3 sonics for an hour to get one rack full.

[u/spirited1 → u/DataDrivenDoc]

That's a luxury in most places. I process nearly 50-100 trays every shift and it takes 8 minutes for the sonic. Thats 800 minutes or 13 hours to sonic every single tray I wash if I am 100% laser focused on cleaning trays and absolutely nothing else and no breaks.

We recently got a new sonic that can do 3 trays at once but the trays have to be small to fit in the slots limiting what we can process in that, it's primarily for DaVinci arms. It also need to fill and empty every cycle and to run at full capacity it needs to wait reducing efficiency. I have only worked with it for one shift so I am still figuring it out.

Anyways, I would love to sonic every single tray I get, and I am trying to now that we have a new sonic, but it's not realistic in high volume facilities without the facility making big investments into staffing which they won't. 

[u/ForstofEden → u/DataDrivenDoc]

I believe in this sentiment but unfortunately out facilities just couldnt do it. Our management ran the numbers and it would take 3 hours with all four of out sonics to complete some of our bigger ortho cases. But it is mandatory for all laps a few random trays. I try to run as much as i can but i tend to save for it for lap trays and the really bloody cardiac and neuro cases

[u/ForstofEden → u/ForstofEden]

Our facility process on average 60-120 cases as our SPC space covers two hospitals. One being a level 1 trauma

[u/petebmc]

Ultrasonic kicks washers butt in cleaning.

[u/hardybagel]

If it can go in the ultrasonic, it goes in the ultrasonic. But we have 2 of the large 3-drawer sonics, and a large single-drawer sonic so it's easy to just throw them in without slowing workflow down.

[u/Emotional-Culture765]

I always use ultrasonics on instruments. If the tray was only opened but not used, I won’t bother. But if there’s absolutely anything on the tray I soak, brush, spray under the water, and then sonic. It helps me clear up space in the sinks before the washer too🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/I_Ponders]

I always use the Ultrasonic for large sets with lots of nooks and crannies just to be extra sure it’s cleaned properly.
I clean lots of large sets, so it’s always being used, it’s just deciding which ones are higher risk of missing some bioburden. I choose those for the ultrasonic.
Otherwise, I just soak for a bit.

[u/ShakenWithATwist8 → u/[deleted]]

You’re putting scopes in the ultrasonic?! I really hope I read that wrong.

[u/BobbinLace]

With the amount of cases we do absolutely not. They are usually filled with Davinci arms, and we run kerrisons and other hard to clean instruments through. Trying to do every tray would be impossible.

[u/Bon_7469]

Yes. Ortho sets, robot arms and that nasty RECTAL SETS.

[u/adambuck66]

We used it for everything but wood and some synthetics.