Sterile Processing Department

Various instruments sit out for use during a heart transplant surgery on Jan. 15. (photo by Erin O. Smith)

January 31, 2025

How many surgical instruments are used to set the 2024 heart transplant world record?

A standard heart transplant requires surgical instruments spread across multiple sterile tables — from tiny vascular clamps to hefty retractors to keep the surgical field open.

By Holly Fletcher and Erin O. Smith

December 6, 2024

Tanya Stellges is dedicated to keeping microbes at bay and patients safe

Her enterprise-wide efforts in high-level disinfection and sterilization earned her a Credo Award.