SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 15th April. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Our Lady of Candelaria University Hospital, a facility linked to the Health Department of the Canary Islands Government, has utilised nearly 1.5 million Euros from the REACT funds of the European Union in modernising the Sterilization service by introducing state-of-the-art equipment.
The enhancements include new steam sterilizers equipped with an early warning system that restricts access to the sterile area upon detection of sterilization cycle failures, along with automated unloading functions. Additionally, there are advanced washing machines that prevent progression to the next inspection, assembly, and packaging area in case of thermo-disinfection cycle failures.
The Medical Device Reprocessing Unit (Rumed) operates round the clock since the facility houses three emergency operating rooms, necessitating prepared sterile materials at all times for both urgent and scheduled surgeries. Morning and afternoon schedules are maintained.
These changes enable a swifter response in providing sterile medical devices ready for use in the operating rooms, aligning with the growing surgical activity at the facility.
Workers in the service have also experienced improved efficiency with the new machinery featuring automatic loading and unloading capabilities, relieving them of such tasks during machine deposits and retrievals.
These advancements are also part of the hospital complex’s strategy to reduce its environmental impact, with the new washing machines reducing water consumption by 35% compared to the previous models, thereby cutting down on the use of chemical products required for washing.
The Sterilization Service caters to a total of twenty-nine operating rooms, in addition to disinfecting all consultation, hospitalization, and functional test materials within the complex.
In 2023, a total of 25,342 surgical interventions were carried out, with 6,666 being urgent cases. This reflects a 2.09% increase from the previous year which saw 24,823 interventions, including 5,787 urgent procedures.
To support these surgical procedures, some of which are highly intricate or demand specialized instruments like the arms of the Da Vinci robot, an average of 333,535 instruments are required annually.
