Sterile Processing Department

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

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.

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.