A new standard for sterility testing for autoclaved surgical trays.

Sterility testing on autoclaved surgical trays provides scientific information on the duration for which an item can be safely stored. Previous studies were performed by sampling at various time-points after storage and did not take into account potential injuries (moving, lifting etc.) to these trays as they occur in a clinical setting. A standardized protocol was developed by an expert panel based on events which were frequently observed in the Central Sterilization area. We tested 600 samples in 100 surgical trays that were moved and transported according to the standardized protocol. Moved surgical trays were contaminated in 8.3% of tests, a figure much higher than that reported by previous studies. These data suggest that current standards for sterility testing of autoclaved surgical trays can be improved by the addition of event-related testing.