Reliable Water Management for Central Sterilization

St. Luke’s Hospital is a leading health care provider in southeastern Massachusetts with a wide range of medical and surgical services. Specialized areas include neurosurgery, cardiology, children’s health services, and orthopedic and general surgery.

St. Luke’s is committed to growing in scope and technologies to meet the needs of the community. With one of the busiest emergency departments in Massachusetts, reliable high purity water is critical for efficient surgical instrument processing.

Challenge

An average of 30-35 surgeries are performed at St. Luke’s Hospital on a daily basis. Surgical instruments are sterilized in the Central Process Department (CPD). A two-bed deionized (DI) water system provides high purity water for the final instrument rinse, prior to terminal sterilization.

Surgical instruments are thoroughly inspected after washing. If there is any evidence of staining, pitting, or corrosion, the instruments will be rejected and sent back through the sterilization process. This can cause a delay of anywhere from 15-45 minutes, tying up the operating room and delaying surgical procedures.

Bob Fernandes, CPD Team Leader at St. Luke’s Hospital, checks the DI system on a daily basis to see if the quality indicator lights are red, indicating a water quality issue. “The staff comes to me and says the washes aren’t running so well. Then I have to check the DI system to see if there is a problem. It slows down the sterilization process.”

Solution

Evoqua recommended Water One® SD (Simple Deionization) service, which combines remote monitoring and fast, local service to ensure customers have the water quality and quantity they need. This revolutionary digital method for service deionization provides 24/7/365 remote monitoring for water quality and leak detection, which mitigates risk, automates tank exchanges, and minimizes system downtime.

“Water One service takes the human aspect out of remembering to check the light. It’s automated and the remote monitoring tells you when you need service. It’s one less thing for me to worry about,” says Bob Fernandes.

Results

Water One® SD service has provided reliable high purity water for Central Sterilization at St. Luke’s Hospital since September 2017. Surgical instrument staining is virtually non-existent and service for the DI water system has been seamless.

“I get notified that we are due for a tank exchange and service is there the next day. Any leaks or other issues are taken care of right away,” says Bob Fernandes.

With the remote monitoring feature, Evoqua also provides access to water usage data, system status, maintenance, and water quality reports. St. Luke’s Hospital can average out the water per cycle to get better costing data. In addition, the hospital can prepare for significant weather events, such as blizzards, by understanding water usage and scheduling tank exchanges in advance of approaching storms.

With Water One service, St. Luke’s Hospital now has the reliable high purity water they need to meet surgical instrument demand.