Sterile processing departments have more low-temperature sterilization options today than at any point in the field’s history. In a recent episode of the Below the Hospital podcast, Ted May, president of Andersen Sterilizers and a longtime AAMI member, joined show host Garland-Rhea Grisby Sr. to discuss the state of low-temperature sterilization modalities, from ethylene oxide (EO) to novel technologies.

According to May, today’s low-temperature, gas-based sterilization options fall into two main families. On the hydrogen peroxide side, a given sterile processing department (SPD) can choose from the original gas plasma systems introduced in the early 1990s, vaporized hydrogen peroxide systems, and newer hydrogen peroxide-ozone hybrid systems that have yet to see widespread adoption.

How long do you hang your endoscopes after processing? In the latest episode of the Below the Hospital podcast, host Garland-Rhea Grisby Sr. sat down with Margaret Gilman, director of infection prevention in the department of quality and safety at Nemours Children’s Health to discuss her facility’s transition to a 14-day hang time and the research that backed it up.

In June 2025, HPN examined a wave of evolving standards shaping sterile processing departments (SPD), highlighting the growing complexity of compliance and the increasing expectations placed on departments. Less than a year later, the conversation has shifted.
Today, the issue is no longer awareness – it’s execution.

Patient safety and quality of care are primary topics of contemporary healthcare systems, as they have a direct impact on patient outcomes, organizational performance, and the trust of the population. Despite technological progress and intellectual standards of care, patient safety incidents are still taking place in terrifying proportions. 

Pushing past the double doors leading to the operating suite or
the sterile processing department can feel like passing the point of no return to an infection preventionist (IP) who is either a novice or comes from a non-clinical background, or both. Even some veteran IPs may feel some degree of trepidation at the prospect of observing
in areas of the hospital that may seem complex and mysterious.