Can a humid storage environment of surgical instruments before reprocessing increase patient safety and durability of instruments?

Background: National and international guidelines recommend reprocessing of medical instruments to commence as soon as possible post-surgery; furthermore, they recommend that transport and storage of surgical instruments postoperatively occurs in a moist, humid atmosphere. The concern is that a dry storage environment results in deterioration of instruments.

Aim: To evaluate whether residual protein or corrosion is associated with storage environment (dry or humid), holding time or number of treatment cycles.

Prevention of P2 Receptor-Dependent Thrombocyte Activation by Pore-Forming Bacterial Toxins Improves Outcome in A Murine Model of Urosepsis.

Urosepsis is a potentially life-threatening, systemic reaction to uropathogenic bacteria entering the bloodstream of the host. One of the hallmarks of sepsis is early thrombocyte activation with a following fall in circulating thrombocytes as a result of intravascular aggregation and sequestering of thrombocytes in the major organs. Development of a thrombocytopenic state is associated with a poorer outcome of sepsis.

Evaluation of platelet function in thrombocytopenia.

Whole blood aggregometry is a functional assay for determination of platelet function. Until now, whole blood aggregometry has not been considered feasible at low platelet counts. Hence, the objectives of the present study were to explore platelet function in thrombocytopenia using a novel index of impedance aggregometry adjusted for platelet count and evaluate the association to platelet function assessed by flow cytometry.

Flow cytometric analysis of platelet cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 and surface glycoproteins in patients with immune thrombocytopenia and healthy individuals.

Immature platelets may contain more platelet enzymes such as cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 than mature platelets. Patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) have a higher fraction of immature platelets and can therefore be utilized as a biological model for investigating COX-1 and COX-2 platelet expression. The aims were to develop flow cytometric assays for platelet COX-1 and COX-2 and to investigate the COX-1 and COX-2 platelet expression, platelet turnover, and platelet glycoproteins in ITP patients (n = 10) compared with healthy individuals (n = 30).