Preventing Cross-Contamination with Lab Scissors
You’re halfway through a procedure when it hits you... The surgical scissors in your hand were just used for something else. In a busy university research lab, that’s all it takes for cross-contamination to creep in. These unsung heroes of small animal surgery are always within reach, but if they move from one task to another without proper decontamination, they can silently sabotage months of careful work. One contamination event can invalidate entire data sets, force costly repeat procedures, or worse, compromise animal welfare.
The good news? Preventing cross-contamination doesn’t require an overhaul of your entire protocol. With strategic planning and consistent execution, you can protect your research integrity while maintaining efficient surgical workflows.
Foundation Practices: Getting the Basics Right
Once these habits are second nature, you’ll have a solid defense against contamination risks.
Assign Scissors by Function, Not Convenience
Dedicate specific instruments to specific roles, like tissue dissection, suture cutting, or general prep work. Color-coded handles, instrument tags, or dedicated storage trays make this intuitive for everyone on your team. This ensures scissors used for non-sterile prep never accidentally enter a sterile surgical field.
Clean Immediately and Thoroughly
Resist the urge “deal with it later.” Dried biological material becomes exponentially harder to remove once it dries, creating microscopic contamination reservoirs. Consider implementing a decontamination protocol like this:
- Rinse instruments immediate with distilled water to remove debris.
- Soak them for 2-3 minutes in an enzymatic cleaner (Endozime) to break down proteins and lipids.
- Perform an ultrasonic cleaning (for surgical scissors) to reach hinges and serrations that manual scrubbing misses.
- Inspect the pivot points and blade edges under good lighting.
Sterilize Properly
Heat sterilization remains the gold standard for eliminating pathogens. Autoclave at 120°C (250°F) for 15 minutes using your institution’s validated parameters. For time-sensitive procedures, chemical sterilants or low-temperature plasma are alternatives, as long as you confirm they meet IACUC guidelines.
Store Sterile Instruments Correctly
Clean scissors only remain sterile when properly protected. Use sterilization pouches with indicators, covered trays, or cassette systems. In shared labs, establish visual cues so team members instantly know which instruments are sterile versus “in process.”
Make It a Team Priority
Contamination prevention must be a team commitment. Post cleaning protocols at surgical stations, assign instrument responsibility during procedures, and train new members thoroughly. When everyone understands the stakes, clean instruments become automatic.
Advanced Strategies: Taking Contamination Prevention Further
Once the basics are part of your daily routine, you can strengthen your protocols with these advanced practices.
Equipment Optimization
Choose the right tool: Spring scissors excel for delicate work, while heavy-duty shears handle tougher materials. Blunt tips reduce accidental punctures, while sharp points allow precise dissection. Matching instrument design to surgical requirements improves outcomes and reduces tissue trauma.
Maintain pivot points: Hinge mechanisms and screw joints are contamination magnets. Inspect weekly for stiffness, corrosion, or pitting. Damaged surfaces can harbor microbes even after sterilization.
Save surgical scissors for surgery: Cutting suture packets or paper dulls blades and creates burrs which can trap contaminants. Keep separate utility scissors for non-biological tasks and reserve your premium surgical instruments for their designated tasks.
Workflow Management
Rotate instruments: Maintain multiple scissor sets so sterilization never bottlenecks your schedule. While one set is in decontamination, backups keep procedures on track. This prevents the dangerous temptation to "make do" with questionable instruments during back-to-back procedures.
Document sterilization cycles: In regulated environments, tracking isn’t optional. It’s a compliance requirement. Use simple logs or indicator stickers to ensure nothing slips through the cracks in shared spaces, especially in busy shared facilities where instruments pass through multiple hands.
Team Training
Explain the “why”: When people understand the consequences and the reasons for protocols, teams experience greater compliance. During onboarding and periodic refresher trainings, explain how instrument contamination can derail weeks of data collection or compromise animal welfare. Make the connection between careful instrument handling and successful research outcomes.
Audit regularly: Even well-designed systems drift over time. Quarterly reviews of instrument handling, cleaning procedures, and storage practices help catch developing bad habits before they cause problems.
When Things Go Wrong
Even with best practices, contamination concerns can arise. Be ready with an emergency protocol:
- Immediate isolation: Set suspected contaminated instruments aside in a designated "quarantine" area.
- Switch to backup sets: This is why instrument rotation matters.
- Document the incident: Record what happened, when, and what corrective actions you took.
- Review and adjust: Use incidents as learning opportunities to strengthen your protocols.
Common Troubleshooting
Sticky scissors after cleaning? The problem is likely residual cleaning solution or inadequate rinsing. Extend your rinse time and use distilled water for the final rinse.
Losing sharpness quickly? Check for improper use on paper or non-biological materials or excessive ultrasonic exposure.
Inconsistent compliance? Make instrument care part of lab safety assessments.
Small Steps, Big
In research, small lapses can cascade into major setbacks. By treating your surgical scissors with the same precision you bring to experimental design, you protect both research integrity and animal welfare. The extra minutes invested in proper care today save hours of troubleshooting tomorrow, keeping your work moving forward without preventable interruptions.
Your scissors are more than tools. They’re guardians of research quality. Treat them accordingly, and they’ll serve your scientific mission reliably for years to come.
WPI Is Here to Help
At WPI, we understand that the right instrument, and the right storage equipment, makes all the difference in both surgical success and contamination prevention. That’s why we offer a comprehensive selection of ring scissors and spring scissors for the life sciences industry, available in titanium, stainless steel, and ceramic-coated finishes, as well as in a variety of shapes and sizes to match your exact surgical needs.
To protect your investment, we also carry sterilization baskets and cassettes designed to store and transport your scissors safely from autoclave to surgical station, helping you maintain the sterile conditions your research depends on.
Protect your research. Protect your results.
