How to process loaner instrument sets

CRCST practice question · Cleaning, Decontamination & Disinfection

A loaner instrument set arrives from a vendor, and the trays look clean. How should the department process them?

  • A. Sterilize them as received, since the vendor cleaned them before shipping
  • B. Send them straight to the OR, since vendors deliver loaner sets already sterile
  • C. Wipe them with a disinfectant and then send them to sterile storage
  • D. Treat them as contaminated, check the inventory, obtain the IFU, and clean and process them fully before use

Answer

D. Treat them as contaminated, check the inventory, obtain the IFU, and clean and process them fully before use

Loaner sets should be considered contaminated on arrival because the department cannot verify how they were handled before they arrived. They must be inventoried, processed according to the manufacturer's IFU, and cleaned, inspected, and sterilized. Visual cleanliness does not confirm the set is safe.

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