First Case

🎧Listen to this Season 10 throwback now! https://educate.beyondclean.net/4uo2UQn // What is advocacy? How can we change practices within our facility and within our state? Joining us today to talk about all things advocacy is Kay Ball, PhD, RN, CNOR, CMLSO, FAAN, adjunct nursing professor at Otterbein University. Kay is a passionate OR nurse and nursing advocate and shares her experience and insight with us to show us how we can advocate for change. Join us as we discover the importance of telling our stories, as we see the impact that our stories can have, and find out the do’s and don’ts of advocacy. Don’t miss this interview!

📆 Mark your calendars. Season 20 of First Case launches on July 6th!

Tune in to this Season 10 throwback episode here 🎧: https://educate.beyondclean.net/4wY0DOa // How do our training programs teach us to advocate for ourselves and for our patients? In this Season 10 episode, we sit down with Chris Blevins to learn how she uses her position as a Surgical Technology educator to teach her students how to find their voices, how to advocate for themselves, and how to advocate for their patients. Don’t miss it!

📆 Mark your calendars. Season 20 of First Case launches on July 6th!

PATOS starts in the operative note.

For OR teams, this is one of those documentation details that can make a big difference in SSI surveillance.

PATOS means infection or contamination was present at the time of surgery.

That means what the surgeon sees when they enter the operative field matters.

Examples that may raise a PATOS flag:
“Purulent fluid encountered upon entry.”
“Contamination present on initial exploration.”
“Abscess noted at the start of the procedure.”

Clear intraoperative documentation helps Infection Prevention accurately interpret SSI events and understand what was already present versus what may have developed after surgery.

For OR nurses and surgical technologists, the takeaway is simple:

What is seen, said, and documented in the room can directly impact SSI review.

🎧Tune in here! https://educate.beyondclean.net/4mSOtSe // Even the best systems have moments when things go wrong. What matters most is how we respond.

In our final episode of Season 19, Jen Parrott returns to discuss what happens when things go wrong like wet packs, missing instruments, failed indicators, delays, and breakdowns in the process.

This interview is a powerful reminder that solving problems requires more than urgency. It requires communication, accountability, and a culture focused on improvement instead of blame. Because when the OR and SPD work together, setbacks become opportunities to build safer systems for every patient.

Don't miss the final episode of Season 19!

Hey ! Our previous mobile app provider has sunset its app service, so we’re streamlining how you access your favorite podcast episodes and making it easier than ever to listen on the platforms you’re already tuning in to.

You can still catch all of your favorite Beyond Clean, First Case, Power Supply, and Transmission Control episodes wherever you like to listen, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and our websites.

Whether you’re commuting to work, assembling trays, charting cases, ordering supplies, making your rounds, or winding down after a long shift, your favorite episodes are still just a click away!

🎧 Keep streaming, keep learning, and let’s keep the conversation going!

🎧 https://educate.beyondclean.net/4u8HZkn 🎧 // How much thought do we really give to packaging… until something goes wrong?🤔

In today's interview, we explore the often-overlooked world of storage, shelf life, and event-related sterility with Malinda Elammari, CEO of Crown Point Consulting. From blue wrap and rigid containers to peel packs and transport practices, this episode breaks down why packaging is far more than a wrapper. In reality, it's a critical part of protecting sterility and patient safety.

Listen now and discover why packaging matters!

🎧 https://educate.beyondclean.net/4d4FY35 🎧// How do you know the tray you just opened is truly ready for your patient?

In Episode 6 of Sterile Processing 101, we sit down with Adam Okada to take a closer look at the indicators, tape, filters, and packaging features that communicate critical sterility information before instruments ever reach the field. Join us as we discuss what these indicators do, what they don’t tell us, and why the OR team is the final line of defense before those instruments are used on a patient.

🎧Tune in to our latest episode here! https://educate.beyondclean.net/3P1BCk7 // In this week's episode, we take a practical look at the science behind sterilization with Bobby Parker from Beyond Clean. From steam cycles to low-temperature, this episode breaks down the different ways instruments are processed and discusses why each method matters.

You’re also going to gain a clearer understanding of indicators, sterility assurance, and why sterilization takes more time than many realize. But the more we understand the process, the better we can support patient safety and workflow efficiency.

How reliable is the tray you open every day? 🤔

In today's episode, we step into inspection and assembly where cleaned instruments are tested, examined, and built into the trays your OR depends on.

This conversation with Kevin Anderson highlights why tray assembly is about far more than checking off a count sheet. From instrument function testing and damaged equipment to borescopes, insulation testing, and missing items, this episode reveals the science behind building a dependable tray.

Listen now and gain a new appreciation for the work that happens before the tray reaches your back table.

🎧https://educate.beyondclean.net/42spJqp 🎧

"In era of bloodletting and imbalances of the four humors, John Hunter (1728–1793) challenged tradition and defined surgical scholarship. He introduced the modern approach to surgery:

Begin with a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology, meticulously observe the symptoms of disease in a living patient and post-mortem findings of those that died of it, then, on the basis of the comparison, propose an improvement in treatment, test it in animal experiments, and try the procedure on humans. He used the approach with success to treat popliteal artery aneurysm with ligation of the superficial femoral artery in 1785. The site of his operation, the adductor canal, is one of a handful of anatomic structures better known by
its eponym." (Source: https://educate.beyondclean.net/4scXuq6 )

Dr. Hunter was a very distinguished scientist and surgeon, and as the quote states, he is credited with the modern approach to surgery. During his lifetime of study and discovery, he didn't get everything right - he claimed to have proved that gonorrhea and syphilis were caused by the same pathogen, for instance.

However, his work helped us to understand human teeth, bone growth and remodeling, inflammation, gunshot wounds, venereal disease, digestion, child development, the separation of maternal and fetal blood supply, and the role of the lymphatic system. He also carried out the first recorded artificial insemination.

There was a significant amount of scandal and intrigue that occurred after his death due to the jealousy of his brother-in-law, Dr. Everard Home, the younger brother of Hunter’s wife. And despite his renown and fame, Dr. Hunter's death left his wife and children nearly penniless.

Read more about him in this article from the American College of Surgeons! https://educate.beyondclean.net/4scXuq6