The following are specific guidelines for sterilizing instruments, glassware, suture materials, and rubber latex materials. Instruments:  Wash each instrument after use with an antiseptic detergent solution. When washing by hand, pay particular attention to hinged parts and serrated surfaces. Rinse all instruments, and dry them thoroughly.  Use an instrument washer/sterilizer, if available, to decontaminate instruments and utensils following each surgical procedure.  Following cleaning and decontamination, leave hinged instruments unclasped and wrapped singly or placed on trays for resterilization. Glassware:  Inspect all reusable glassware for cracks or chips.  Wash all reusable glassware with soap or detergent and water after use, and rinse it completely.  When preparing reusable glass syringes —match numbers or syringe parts; —wrap each plunger and barrel separately in gauze; and —wrap each complete syringe in a double muslin wrapper.  When glassware, tubes, medicine glasses, and beakers are part of a sterile tray, wrap each glass item in gauze before placing it on the tray. Suture Material: Suture materials are available i n t w o m a j o r c a t e g o r i e s : a b s o r b a b l e a n d nonabsorbable. Absorbable suture materials can be digested by the tissues during the healing process. Absorbable sutures are made from collagen (an animal protein derived from healthy animals) or from synthetic polymers. Nonabsorbable suture materials are those that effectively resist the enzymatic digestion process in living tissue. These sutures are made of metal or other inorganic materials. In both types, each strand of specifically sized suture material is uniform in diameter and is predictable in performance. Modern manufacturing processes make all suture materials available in individual packages, presterilized, with or without a surgical needle attached. Once opened, do not resterilize either the individual p a c k a g e o r a n i n d i v i d u a l s t r a n d o f s u t u r e material. NOTE: The only exception to this rule involves the use of surgical stainless steel. This material is often provided in unsterile packages or tubes. Individual strands or entire packages of surgical stainless steel must be sterilized before use. Rubber Latex Materials:  Wash rubber tubing in an antiseptic detergent solution. —Pay attention to the inside of the tubing. Rinse all tubing well and place it flat or loosely coiled in a wrapper or container. —When packing latex surgical drains for sterilization, place a piece of gauze in the lumen of the tray. Never resterilize surgical drains. —Never resterilize rubber catheters bearing a disposable label. —Never resterilize surgeon’s disposable (rubber) gloves. These gloves are for one-time use only. Handling Sterile Articles LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Recall sterile article handling and surgical hand scrubbing techniques, donning procedure for gowning and gloving, and the steps to clean an operating/treatment room. When you are changing a dressing, removing sutures, or preparing the patient for a surgical procedure, it will be necessary to establish a sterile field from which to work. The field should be established on a stable, clean, flat, dry surface. Wrappers from sterile articles may be used as a sterile field as long as the inside of the wrapper remains sterile. If the size of the wrapper does not provide a sufficient working space for the sterile field, use a sterile towel. Once established, only those persons who have donned sterile gloves should touch the sterile 2-33