The surgical instruments that the surgeon will be using need to be positioned close to the surgeon for easy access, and remain sterile at all times. This is achieved using a sturdy trolley or similar surface. Ideally, is should be made of surgical steel and easily cleaned.
Once the surgeon has scrubbed up and has gloved, an assistant should open the autoclaved container to enable the surgeon to removed a recently-sterilised surgical pack.
The process of placing the surgical pack is explained below:
Once the instrument pack has been opened, an assistant will open suture material and surgical blade outer packets, ensuring that they do not touch the inner contents, and drop them onto the tray ready for use.
The surgeon should arrange their instrument tray logically so that he/she can easily locate each item when required:
Lastly, count the number of swabs you have on your tray. These must then be re-counted before you start to close the surgical site, to ensure that you do not leave any swabs inside the patient by mistake. This can lead to life-threatening consequences, including chronic infection and induced neoplasia1.