{"id":7780,"date":"2025-09-15T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7780"},"modified":"2025-09-15T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T14:30:00","slug":"squeaky-clean-for-surgery-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7780","title":{"rendered":"Squeaky clean for surgery success"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-09-15T14:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

At the VA Augusta Health Care System<\/a> (VAAHCS), a team of 24 works hard to clean and prepare over 10,000 tools each month, keeping everything germ-free to ensure every surgery goes smoothly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy meticulously cleaning and sterilizing medical instruments and devices in accordance with manufacturer instructions and VHA protocols, Sterile Processing Services <\/a>(SPS) ensures that medical procedures are conducted with the highest standards of care and safety,\u201d said Rebecca Stroda, chief nurse of Sterile Processing.<\/p>\n

Recent commendations from the VA Southeast Network (VISN 7) audit team underscore the dedication of SPS team to maintaining the highest standards of operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the latest site visit, several key highlights were observed, setting VAAHCS apart as a model for Sterile Processing excellence within the VISN 7,\u201d said Stroda.<\/p>\n

The journey from surgery to sterilization<\/h2>\n

CensiTrac (CT), an innovative program under the leadership of Roger Sullivan, the CT coordinator, is a comprehensive surgical asset management solution to help track, identify and manage surgical instruments throughout the cleaning and sterilization process.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe system brings a sense of confidence when it comes to processing because it not only tells you what an instrument is, and what service it belongs to, but also how it needs to be sterilized,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cCT keeps track of how many times each arm was used and lets us know when we to remove that instrument from service.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recognition and continued excellence<\/h2>\n
\n
<\/a>
Roger Sullivan scans a Davinci arm into the Censitrac system for assembly and tracking. Soon, this arm will be used in life-saving robotic surgeries. Each particular Davinci arm has a different amount of \u201csterilization usages\u201d it can have before it expires. Censitrac keeps track of how many times each arm was used and when it can no longer be used.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

VAAHCS\u2019s innovative practices and commitment to excellence not only ensure the safety and effectiveness of medical procedures but sets a standard of excellence for others to follow. Sullivan has been asked by other VA SPS sites across the region to help them improve their use of the CT System.<\/p>\n

By optimizing cutting-edge tools like CT, VAAHCS\u2019s SPS demonstrate the transformative impact of innovation and leadership in health care. As health care continues to evolve, VAAHCS remains at the forefront, exemplifying the best practices in sterile processing.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery instrument we process contributes to safe surgeries and better patient outcomes,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cWe are often behind the scenes, but we are the most critical link when it comes to patient care.\u00a0The pride of knowing that surgeries run smoothly because of your work is deeply rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At VA Augusta Health Care System, a Sterile Processing Services team of 24 works hard to clean and prepare over 10,000 tools each month, keeping everything germ-free to ensure every surgery at VA Augusta Health Care System goes smoothly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care"],"yoast_head":"\nSqueaky clean for surgery success - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"At VA Augusta Health Care System, a Sterile Processing Services team of 24 works hard to clean and prepare over 10,000 tools each month, keeping everything germ-free to ensure every surgery at VA Augusta Health Care System goes smoothly.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7780\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Squeaky clean for surgery success - 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