AHN Jefferson Hospital is an award-winning healthcare facility that provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient surgical services in western Pennsylvania. The hospital’s state-of-the-art-surgical suite features an advanced robotic system, which is controlled by the surgeon for minimally invasive surgery.
When new washer systems were installed in central services to meet the needs of the surgical suite, the current pure water system had difficulty handling the increased load. Jefferson Hospital turned to the experts at Evoqua Water Technologies for help.
Challenge
The central sterile department at Jefferson Hospital has five sterilization areas that require high purity water: a cart washer for two 4.5’ long carts, a sonic washer for the specialized surgical robotic instruments system, two single chamber instrument washers and a decontamination sink. The equipment runs from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and requires a large volume of deionized water to effectively disinfect and sterilize surgical instruments and medical devices.
Paul Phelos, the biomedical equipment specialist at Jefferson Hospital, is responsible for maintaining equipment in the central sterile area. He recognized that the current high purity water system was inadequate at handling the hospital’s expanding water needs. “The water quality was inconsistent, and instruments sometimes needed to be hand cleaned before being rewashed and steam sterilized. The water system could not keep up with surgical demand,” said Phelos. Jefferson Hospital needed a more robust high purity water system to handle the larger volume of water.
Solution
Evoqua evaluated the high purity water needs of the central sterile department at Jefferson Hospital and recommended the Ionright® system. The Ionright system combines reverse osmosis technology with electro-deionization for consistent, high purity water. The system is easy to install and simple to operate with flow rates from 4-10 gallons per minute, meeting the needs of the hospital.
Evoqua also provided a comprehensive Water One® service package with the Ionright system, which includes preventative maintenance, service calls and tank exchanges for one simple monthly fee. This all-inclusive service provides Jefferson Hospital with peace of mind that they will always have the water quality and quantity they need to meet surgical demand.
" Everything comes out spotless. Even the equipment used in processing stays clean and functions great. Now that Jefferson Hospital has a reliable high purity water system, the central sterile department is highly efficient and no longer needs to worry about meeting surgical demand. I have to say I am very pleased with the product and with Evoqua’s service team. It has been a very good experience. "
Results
The Ionright system with Water One service has been in place for over a year and the central sterile department couldn’t be happier. “Everything comes out spotless. Even the equipment used in processing stays clean and functions great,” says Phelos.
Now that Jefferson Hospital has a reliable high purity water system, the central sterile department is highly efficient and no longer needs to worry about meeting surgical demand. “I have to say I am very pleased with the product and with Evoqua’s service team. It has been a very good experience,” added Phelos.