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Sterile processing · Updated · 2 min read

Sterile Processing Instruments

What a sterile processing tech needs to know about every instrument: its name and its job, how to inspect and test it, and how it comes apart, gets cleaned and goes back on its tray.

Browse all 3,300+ instruments Practice for your cert exam

Allis Forceps

Clamping

Kelly Forceps

Clamping

Curved Hemostats

Clamping

The most looked-up instrument on CSTSetup

3D

Know every instrument on the count sheet.

A tray is built from its count sheet: every instrument by name, size and quantity. Knowing them on sight, and telling the look-alikes apart, is the first part of the job.

3D Curved HemostatsClamping & Occluding Kelly ForcepsClamping & Occluding Allis ForcepsClamping & Occluding3D Straight Mayo ScissorCutting & Dissecting3D Metzenbaum ScissorCutting & Dissecting3D Adson ForcepsGrasping & Holding3D Army-Navy RetractorRetracting3D Right Angle ClampClamping & Occluding
All 3,300+ instruments, A to Z Start with the 54 basics Test yourself: today's five-question quiz

Inspect every instrument before it goes in the tray.

Cleaning happens in decontamination; the assembly table is the last close look before an instrument reaches the patient. The manufacturer's instructions for use decide the details for each one.

CleanSerrations, box locks and hinges first. A soiled instrument goes back to decontamination with its whole tray, never cleaned at the assembly table.
DamageCracks, especially in box locks, bent or misaligned tips, chips, burrs and pitting.
WearDull edges, weak springs, loose screws, parts that stick. Worn and damaged instruments are tagged for repair or taken out of service.
FunctionRatchets close and hold, tips meet without crossing, jaws line up, and the action is smooth, not too loose or too tight.
Multi-part instrumentsPut back together to check they work, then taken apart again for sterilization, with the small parts kept together.
Test what must be testedScissors for sharpness on test material, and the insulation of electrosurgical instruments between every use.

Look after it and it lasts for years.

Instruments are among the most expensive things a facility owns, and most of the damage they take happens between cases.

Keep it moistWipe off gross soil at the point of use and keep instruments moist, so blood never dries on before decontamination.
Lubricate the moving partsAfter cleaning, on hinges and working parts, with a lubricant approved for instruments and for the sterilization method.
Heavy on the bottomHeavy instruments on the bottom or side of the tray, delicate ones in their own protective case, curved ones all curved the same way.
Don't overcrowdA tray that has grown past its container damages instruments, and can stop it sterilizing and drying properly.
Sterilize it openRinged instruments go on a stringer with the rings open, so the sterilant reaches every surface.
Follow the IFUThe manufacturer's instructions for cleaning, lubrication and sterilization are what keep each instrument in service.

Every card has the sterile processing half.

The 3,300+ instrument cards are written for the whole team, so the parts you need are on the same card the OR uses.

Every name it goes by FreeThe name on your count sheet finds it, whatever the OR calls it.
Photos, uses and lengths FreeWhat it looks like, what it's for and the sizes it comes in.
Inspection and testing ProWhat to check on that instrument before it reaches the field.
Care and reprocessing ProHow it comes apart, gets cleaned and goes back to sterile.
Where it's kept ProThe 35 trays and 31 manufacturers' systems it's packed in, instrument by instrument.
Questions on all of it ProPractice tests and flashcards that ask about inspection and care, not just names.

Practice for your certification exam.

Each sterile processing exam has its own practice test, written to that exam's outline. Five questions a day are free, no account needed.

Every exam we prepare you for

Free, and what Pro adds.

Free, for good. No card.

  • All 3,342 instrument cards
  • Every General setup in full
  • 5 exam questions a day
  • Your own preference cards
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Pro

Pass your exam. Know every case.

Everything in Free, plus:

  • All 370 setups in every specialty: back table, Mayo and every step
  • Practice that never runs out and full timed exams for the CST, TS-C, CRCST, CSPDT, CSFA, NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN, with the why behind every answer
  • Flashcards on any tray, timed to come back before you forget
  • Every instrument card in full: the 3D model, cautions, inspection, how to pass it
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Questions

Sterile processing instruments, answered.

  • Which instruments does a sterile processing tech need to know?Every instrument on the trays you assemble, by name and by sight, and the look-alikes apart. Start with the basic set on almost every general tray: the clamps, scissors, forceps, retractors and needle holders. The 54 basics, with pictures.
  • How are scissors tested for sharpness?On scissors test material, cutting cleanly through it several times. The common standard is red material for scissors 4½ inches and longer and yellow for 4 inches and shorter, and laparoscopic scissors on yellow material or a single layer of tissue paper, unless the manufacturer's instructions say otherwise.
  • What happens to a dirty instrument found at assembly?It goes back to decontamination, and so does the tray it came in, because the rest may have been contaminated too. It is never cleaned at the assembly table.
  • Why are instruments sterilized open?So the sterilant reaches every surface, including the box locks and the inside of the jaws. Stringers hold ringed instruments open and keep them together.
  • Is there a CRCST or CSPDT practice test?Yes, written to each exam's outline, with five free questions a day. See the exams.

Every instrument, at the assembly table.

Look an instrument up from your phone while you build the tray, and study between loads, with the same account and the same Pro as the site. The CSTSetup app is free to download.

App Store Google PlayOr go Pro on the site