What is a Substerile service area?

A “substerile” room was typically placed between two operating rooms to provide “flash” or emergent sterilization of unwrapped items to be used immediately in the operating room. The sterile core often housed a sterilizer as well.

What should be worn in unrestricted area of Or?

Unrestricted: Perioperative staff wears hospital provided surgical scrubs. Scrubs will be changed when wet or soiled. Shoes will be clean, with closed toes to prevent injury and protection from spills. Individuals in street clothes are allowed without restriction.

What is semi-restricted area?

The semi-restricted area is where scrub attire and hair coverings are worn, the scrub sinks are located, and clean and sterile supplies are stored; it also includes some of the areas used to process surgical instruments. This is where full surgical attire and masks are worn.

Is Pacu a restricted area?

The PACU is a restricted visiting area because we are an open unit. In the interest of protecting patient privacy and confidentiality, we do not allow extended visitation.

Why are the sterile core and substerile rooms restricted?

The sterile core often housed a sterilizer as well. Because the items were sterilized in open baskets that could be contaminated by improper handling and exposure during transport, the substerile rooms were placed as close as possible to the operating rooms and the sterile core was considered a restricted area.

How much does it cost to have a substerile room?

The cost of providing a single substerile room could be $100,000 to $160,000 for the equipment and infrastructure and another $60,000 for the floor space, excluding long-term operational costs for maintenance, regulatory compliance, and personnel.

Can a substerile room be in a surgery suite?

Constructing substerile rooms in a hospital-based surgery suite or an ambulatory surgery center is no longer advised (FGI 2014) — thus saving significant dollars in equipment and construction costs. Instead, a single “sterile processing room” may serve an entire surgery suite or groups of operating rooms depending on the size of the surgery suite.

Where is the sterile processing room in the surgical suite?

When sterilization processes are conducted in the surgical suite, a sterile processing room shall be provided. (1) This substerile room shall be either accessible from the operating room(s) it serves or shall be located inside the clean core if the clean core is directly accessible from the operating rooms(s).