Surgical Holdings – an award-winning British manufacturer of surgical instruments and established supplier – has introduced the NuTrace laser marking system to help hospitals ensure full traceability of surgical instruments in the sterile supply workflow.
The NuTrace NUX20ng Fiber Laser is first laser in the world exclusively designed for the Sterile Processing Department, enabling them to quickly and inexpensively, mark surgical instruments.
It marks surgical instruments with unique identifiers, helping to ensure that they are easily identifiable and traceable throughout their lifecycle.
The system utilises state-of-the-art technology that ensures that the laser marking is clear, legible, and long-lasting, even after repeated sterilisation cycles.
The technology, which uses a 1064 nm laser wavelength, enables users to mark instruments with precision and accuracy, minimising the risk of human error and enhancing the quality of care for patients. It works by creating readable datamatrix codes, a 2D barcode embedded to each instrument ensuring they have a unique identification.
It further utilises Ratero – a unique chemical that is used to treat the instruments after laser marking, to remove the risk of corrosion from free iron after marking, which presents as a common issue for many laser markers.
User-friendly, the NuTrace Laser Marker can be easily integrated into existing workflows, making it a valuable addition to any sterile services department. The solution allows items to be tracked ensuring positive identification throughout the washing, disinfection, packing and sterilisation process in Hospital Decontamination Units.
Dan Coole, managing director of Surgical Holdings, said: “The migration of surgical instruments in healthcare is a well-known problem. It is extremely difficult to determine which instrument belongs where, or which instrument goes to a set when they all look alike. With traceability becoming increasingly paramount, NuTrace offers the best option for today's surgical suites and Sterile Services Departments. This is peace of mind for patients, as instruments can then be easily tracked through the hospital. We are excited to be introducing this ground-breaking technology as a new service for our customers in the UK & Ireland.”
Being able to ensure full traceability of devices and to comply with the new unique device identification (UDI) regulatory requirements is a priority for hospitals.
Complementing the technology, the Nutrace R+ Max Healthcare advanced 2D DataMatrix reader has been specifically designed to read challenging 2D datamatrix codes, all types of surgical instruments and implants in the fastest time possible. Together offering a full, turnkey solutions for hospitals.
Surgical Holdings is committed to providing high-quality surgical instruments and medical equipment to healthcare professionals across the globe. The NuTrace NUX20ng Fiber Laser and Nutrace R+ Max 2D Data Matrix Reader are the latest additions to its portfolio of innovative products, and available for distribution throughout the UK & Ireland.
