As the world’s oldest and largest private institution devoted to patient care, education and research into cancer, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center inspires confidence in its patients. And thanks to the efficiencies and effectiveness of the facility’s Central Sterile Processing (CSP) staffs, Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s entities are confident in the knowledge that will be serviced in a timely manner.

The Central Sterile Processing department is the primary source for all surgical supplies used in the hospital’s operating rooms and clinics. It is where all surgical instruments – from scissors and clamps to scopes and forceps – are sterilized, repackaged and prepared for surgical use. There was a time when, according to the department manager, John Meggs, the storage methods used in this area needed updating.

"We were storing instruments on wire shelving and roll-away carts," Meggs recalled. "Until a couple of years ago, our storage methods were cumbersome, and their preset sizes didn’t work for us. We were left with a great deal of unused space and our workstations were not designed for maximum efficiency either."

Two years ago, Memorial Sloan-Kettering initiated a major expansion which included the addition of more operating rooms. At the same time, and to accommodate this expansion, Meggs recognized the need to increase the size of the CSP department. Meggs saw this as an opportunity to replace the inadequate storage equipment with a completely new storage and workspace system. They chose Lista International, based in Holliston, MA, for its workspace solutions.

"I visited a nearby hospital that was using storage equipment from Lista," Meggs said, "and I liked what I saw. It was the ruggedness, sturdiness and overall quality of the product that made an immediate impression."

Meggs decided to outfit his entire newly expanded 11,100 sq. ft. CSP department with Lista equipment, including countertop modular drawer cabinets, customized workstations, and the unique Storage Wall® System.

"Due to the modular nature of the Lista equipment, we were able to exactly meet the unique needs of a CSP department," Meggs explained. "For example, the drawers which house our very fluid inventory are now organized according to specific item category and are labeled with data cards that completely simplify and expedite the filling of order trays."

It is the responsibility of the CSP department to quickly and accurately fill the "pick lists" which are generated by the different hospital services. Operating rooms generate these lists, with CSP assembling the requested tray according to the surgeon’s needs. Each service, be it gynecology, pediatrics, orthopedics, etc., can require hundreds of different trays.

The countertop cabinets, with their stainless steel worksurfaces, provide highly functional all-purpose workspace in the sterilized "prep and pack" area. The cabinet drawers are set up with shallow drawers holding smaller, lighter items at the top, and deeper drawers holding heavier items toward the bottom, with overhead cabinets and shelving keeping books, documents and other needed materials within easy reach.

Workstations handle a variety of applications at Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s CSP department – from assembling surgical instruments to prepping peel-pouched items. Meggs specified the new workstations with a variety of accessories to accommodate the multiple stages of the sterilization and preparation process. These Nexus™ System accessories include vertical power strips which provide convenient outlets for testing whether powered surgical instruments are working properly. Other accessories include adjustable overhead lighting, and air outlets that are used to clean out the lumens (the lighted tube that is used to view tissue during surgery). Each workstation also features a PC attached to an adjustable computer arm accessory. This PC uses ABACUS software to track the bar-coded trays and make sure that they’ve reached their destination and then, subsequently returned to CSP with all but the disposable items.

The workstation drawers provide immediate access to a range of tools and instruments, including three different types of small steam indicators that are used to ensure that surgical items have been properly sterilized.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering uses Lista’s Storage Wall system, with its unique custom-configured combination of drawers, shelves, wide-span beams and roll-out trays, to house many of the department’s bulkier items, such as drapes, gowns, surgical instrument sets and back-up instruments. A variety of different drawer heights provide storage for a range of items, from very small items to large surgical kits. With 100% full extension, the Storage Wall system’s drawers and roll-out trays allow easy access to stored items. Both the drawers and trays can hold up to 440 pounds each, while the wide span beams, designed for large bulk items, hold up to 1,500 pounds.

With this complete storage and workspace system in place, Meggs has seen greatly enhanced efficiency in his department. "Everything is stored in a logical, user-friendly manner that corresponds with the natural work flow. And the entire inventory is properly labeled and accounted for." Additionally, the department’s use of its expensive Manhattan space is optimized.