General Surgical Company India Private Limited

Problems in Maintenance of Stainless Steel Surgical Instruments

1. A wide range of Metallurgical properties are constituted in one single classification of the metal called Stainless Steel. It has Iron & Chromium, but also may have Carbon, Nickel, Sulfur, Tungsten, Manganese and many other elements. But it is Chromium, which imparts the Stainless Steel quality. Hence the more Chromium is present in the Alloy the more resistant it is to corrosion. Carbon reduces this effect of Chromium. But it is necessary to harden the Instrument. Hardness is a primary requirement in Instruments, which have sharp edges, and for all kinds, which have to perform the application for which, they are meant for. For example, to cut, to hold, to open, to close etc. It is an unhappy circumstance that there are only a few Stainless Steel Alloys, which can be hardened sufficiently to manufacture any type of Surgical Instrument. These Alloys are high in Carbon content. They belong to the broad class known as Stainless Steel and are the least corrosion resistant in the group of metals. This problem is not evident on Stainless Steel Surgical Implants as they do not require hardening and are made of Alloys with zero Carbon content.
2. The next type of corrosion, which is commonly seen on the Surgical Instruments, is that which takes place on the blades of knives, in box locks, between blades of scissors etc. In these cases the Instruments may become useless. The main causes for these kinds of corrosion are as follows:

a - Inadequate cleaning & drying immediately after use

Any foreign material either organic or inorganic on the surface of any hardened Surgical Instrument is likely to promote corrosion. Instruments, which have been exposed to Blood, Tissue, Saline & Other Foreign matter have to be rinsed in, warm water before they are dried. Instruments can corrode if they are stored with trapped moisture. We recommend Ultrasonic cleaning to clean Instruments.

b - Autoclaving

Corrosion can take place if the autoclave is not functioning properly. Autoclaves in which, large amount of corrosion takes place have to be checked immediately for leaking valves. Such Autoclaves may not be drying the Instruments adequately or may be drawing corrosive matter back from the drain. Cloth used to wrap Instruments to be autoclaved may contain residual detergents, bleaches or starch. These can promote corrosion at the operating temperature of the autoclave.

c - Water

Corrosion can take place if tap water is used instead of distilled water to generate steam. Because tap water contains minerals which may cause discoloration and staining on the surface of the Instruments. When corrosion does occur in Surgical Instruments, it is usually of a superficial nature. This could be avoided by carefully adhering to the manufacturers guidance on maintenance of Surgical Instruments. In some cases the corrosion can be removed by repolishing the Instrument by the manufacturer.

General Instructions on Care and Maintenance of Surgical Instruments

Instruments used in surgery are the products of a few highly skilled craftsmen. At their best, they not only reflect craftsmanship but a high degree of artistic ability in design. When such Instruments are given the very special care, which they deserve, they will retain their workmanship and function well for long.

Over the years GESCO has gained much experience in the research, development and manufacturing of medical implant devices as well as researching and manufacturing the associated tooling. GESCO can offer this experience to your company wishing to develop your own devices/components/tools and also manufacture these items for you, under your brand name (OEM).

GESCO is fully equipped with latest in house tool room/design or development department. GESCO has multi axis turning centres, milling machines, EDM wire cuts, laser markers and plastic injection machines. We are continually looking to incorporate new manufacturing techniques and machines, to try and accommodate the design and manufacture of complex components.

GESCO has significant experience in working with exotic materials such as Titanium, Aluminium, Stainless Steel, Silicone and incorporating other materials for plastic injection. Experience gained in medical manufacturing puts GESCO in a position to manufacture for other companies as "Original Equipment Manufacturing" (OEM) of any medical (not restricted to spine) or other field.

GESCO - OEM, Manufacturers of all types of Implants and Surgical Instruments in Titanium or Stainless Steel.

GESCO has a strong involvement in the field of research in medical science to develop new techniques in diagnosis, treatment and surgical procedures.

We are at the moment involved with a few institutions and departments of various specialities in redefining the protocols for treatment which includes case studies with regular follow up on patient with history of specific ailments, to help the medical fraternity in developing newer and modern methods in patient care & treatment.

We would be pleased to associate with anyone who has any idea for research and development in the field of surgery.

GESCO’s main strength has been the capacity and the in-house facility for design and development of new products.

We can develop products from concept to designing, prototyping, manufacturing & marketing world wide.

This has been done over the years with the co operation from renowned surgeons who have imparted their ideas to us in either improving the existing designs or in completely designing new instruments for various specialities and spinal implants.

We are at this time working with almost ten different surgeons in different specialities who are in the process of introducing the latest designs in instruments and implants.

Almost all of them are in the various stages of development, prototyping and trials and would be available for commercial marketing very soon. we have an understanding with such developers with whom we closely work on their concepts and ideas in making their ideas take shape and gain the required recognition in the market.

We also would be very keen to discuss with anyone who has a new idea or concept in improving the existing products or innovate a completely new design which will have the required acceptance amongst all the related specialists.