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Below is a range of resources from various sources with no affiliation to Orthopaedic Innovation Ltd or our SmartPower™ range giving documented evidence on the problems associated with reusable power tools that need to be re-sterilised:

Report 1: 'Offsite theatre sterile surgical units (TSSU) - a clinical risk?

R. Madhu, R. Kotnis, C.S. Galasko and K. Willett, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK

View the full study

Key Points:

"Disadvantages (of offsite TSSU) include the finance needed to build and maintain accredited centres, transport of instruments, the cost and need of additional instrument sets with the resultant transfer of clinical rick".

"Concerns have been raised within the surgical community about increasing outsourcing of TSSU to centralized sites particular for acute and emergency services".

"Delays during the procedure whilst awaiting for a 'back-up' set may lead to an increased risk of infection resultant from the surgical wound being left open for a prolonged period".

"45% of surgeons currently working with off-site TSSU and 40% working with on-site TSSU made comments on current or anticipated problems of centralising sterilisation services. No surgeon made a positive comment".

"Surgeons currently working with an off-site TSSU expressed concerns with the overall quality of the service and frequent torn packaging sets".

"Of significant concern and a real area of clinical risk were reports of instances where reports of instance where off-site manager had taken a decision not to sterilise certain items".

A single-use disposable power source eliminates all of the above

problems with re-sterilisation and provides a reliable source of power.