# Sterile processing software that finds a missing instrument in SPD, not in the operating room

> A sterile processing department is the hospital function that decontaminates, inspects, assembles, sterilises and stores surgical instruments for reuse, and holds the evidence that each tray was processed correctly. There are roughly 7,000 US establishments running this function, and FDA regulates the reprocessing of reusable medical devices. Neurobird traces every tray from decontamination to release with its cycle record and instrument count attached.

- URL: https://neurobird.com/sterileproc/
- Product: Neurobird Sterile Processing Department Dispatch Platform
- Niche: sterile processing department
- Buyer: sterile processing departments
- Status: in development, open for early access
- Updated: 2026-08-21

## What Neurobird Sterile Processing Department does

- Track each tray through decontamination, assembly, sterilisation and release
- Record instrument counts at assembly so a shortage is found in SPD, not in the operating room
- Bind sterilizer cycle records to the trays that went through them
- Trace affected trays and cases immediately when a cycle fails

## How it works

1. **Receive and decontaminate** Trays are logged in on arrival, including vendor loaners, so nothing enters the workflow undocumented.
2. **Assemble against the count** The count sheet becomes a checklist bound to the tray, so a shortage surfaces at assembly rather than at the table.
3. **Sterilise and release** The cycle record binds to the trays in it, so a failure traces to affected trays and cases immediately.

## From the source material

> There must be systematic processes for monitoring HVAC performance parameters and a mechanism for identifying and resolving variances within the rooms throughout the VA medical facility where sterile processing occurs and RMD is stored. d.

Source: va.gov, https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=11380

## Industry context

- **FDA** FDA regulates reprocessing of reusable medical devices, including validated instructions manufacturers must provide. (source: FDA reprocessing of reusable medical devices, https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/products-and-medical-procedures/reprocessing-reusable-medical-devices)
- **7,000** Approximate US establishments operating sterile processing functions across hospitals and surgery centres. (source: US Census County Business Patterns, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp.html)
- **1 in 31** US hospital patients has a healthcare associated infection on any given day, part of why reprocessing evidence is scrutinised. (source: CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/healthcare-associated-infections/php/data/index.html)
- **2015** FDA issued updated reprocessing guidance following duodenoscope infection incidents, raising expectations on documentation. (source: FDA, https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/products-and-medical-procedures/reprocessing-reusable-medical-devices)

## Pricing

- Single department: $420 per department, per month
- Hospital: $900 per department, per month
- Health system: $1,600 per department, per month

## Questions

### What does a sterile processing department do?

SPD decontaminates, inspects, assembles, sterilises and stores surgical instruments and equipment for reuse. Every tray that reaches an operating table has passed through it, and the department carries the evidence that it was processed correctly.

### Why does tray tracking matter clinically?

Because a missing or incorrectly processed instrument stops a case, and a failed sterilisation cycle can require patient notification. Both depend on knowing exactly which trays were in which cycle and which case they went to.

### What are loaner trays?

Instrument sets supplied by a vendor for a specific case, often arriving shortly before surgery. They must be decontaminated and processed like any other tray, and the timing pressure is where documentation usually breaks.

### Does this replace the sterilizer's own records?

No. It reads or attaches the cycle record and binds it to the trays processed, so tracing from a failed cycle to the affected trays and cases takes minutes rather than a manual search.

## Sources

- [FDA, reprocessing of reusable medical devices](https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/products-and-medical-procedures/reprocessing-reusable-medical-devices)
- [CDC healthcare associated infection data](https://www.cdc.gov/healthcare-associated-infections/php/data/index.html)
- [US Census County Business Patterns](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp.html)

## Contact

- office@neurobird.com
- https://neurobird.com/