First Case Podcast

A new season of First Case is on the way! In the meantime, we're featuring a few episodes from our friends at Beyond Clean and Power Supply. Tune in today! From the OR to SPD, those contaminated instruments are on the move, and so are pathogens! In this Season 2 premiere of "On Pathogens & PPE," host Jill Holdsworth and co-host Nicholas Day are joined by Rebecca Lauber, Kendall Ashe, Adam Okada, a...

A new season of First Case is on the way! In the meantime, we're featuring a few episodes from our friends at Beyond Clean and Power Supply. Tune in today! When case information, vendor requirements, and compliance data live in separate systems, even a small gap can create major delays. In Episode 2 of "Operate in Harmony," Brendan Shaw from ReadySet and Jay McDonald from Green Security join us to...

A new season of First Case is on the way! In the meantime, we're featuring a few episodes from our friends at Beyond Clean and Power Supply. Tune in today! Not all UV technologies are created equal, and for supply chain teams, knowing the difference leads to better purchasing decisions. In this episode of "Evidence Over Expense," Dr. Sarah Simmons, DrPH, CIC, FAPIC, and Juan Gonzalez from Xenex he...

A new season of First Case is on the way! In the meantime, we're featuring a few episodes from our friends at Beyond Clean and Power Supply. Tune in today! Black specks may be small, but the tension they create between departments can be anything but. In this episode of "What the Speck?," Alex Miseirvitch from Aesculap® joins us to talk about one of the most overlooked challenges in solving the bl...

All season long, we've been breaking down the silos between the OR and Infection Prevention teams. So where do we go from here? In this "Silo-Free Surgery" season finale episode, Garrett Hollembeak and Lindsey Joyce are joined by Maureen Spencer and Peter Graves to talk about what it takes to turn collaboration into action. They discuss why effective SSI prevention means looking beyond policies an...

When something doesn't look right in the OR, do you have the confidence to speak up? In this episode of "Silo-Free Surgery," Garrett Hollembeak sits down with certified surgical technologist, educator, and infection preventionist Julia Jackson to talk about the role surgical conscience plays in protecting patients and preventing surgical site infections. From protecting the sterile field to slowin...

The OR sees one thing. Infection Prevention reports another. So who's right? In this episode of "Silo-Free Surgery," hosts Garrett Hollembeak and Trey Morrow are joined by infection prevention expert Emily Barnard to tackle one of the trickier parts of SSI surveillance: PATOS, or "present at time of surgery." Emily breaks down the difference between clinical and surveillance definitions, why the r...

Every surgical procedure depends on a reliable barrier between clinicians and patients, but is every glove designed to deliver the same level of protection? On this week's First Case Vendor Spotlight™, Rachel Dalton, MSN, RN, CPPS, Global Manager of Medical Affairs at Cardinal Health™, discusses how the Protexis™ Surgical Glove Portfolio is helping OR teams stay ahead of evolving best practices ar...

Every day, healthcare teams rely on IFUs to get the job done. But how often do we stop to think about how they actually come together? In this week's special season co-release episode, Garrett Hollembeak sits down with Alpa Patel to take a closer look at why manufacturers' instructions for use play such an important role in preventing surgical site infections. Drawing on decades of experience in r...

The pace may be different, but the goal is exactly the same: delivering safe surgical care. In this week's special season co-release episode, we talk with Carlene Smith about what surgical site infection prevention looks like in ambulatory surgery centers. As someone who's worked in Sterile Processing, Infection Prevention, and the OR, Carlene shares her unique perspective on the challenges ASC te...

Could the biggest opportunities to prevent surgical site infections (SSIs) be the ones you've stopped noticing? In this week's special season co-release episode, Garrett Hollembeak sits down with Crystal Heishman for a conversation about seeing SSI prevention through a different lens. With experience spanning Infection Prevention, Sterile Processing, and the Operating Room, Crystal shares how stro...

What keeps you up at night when it comes to preventing surgical site infections (SSIs)? In this week's special season co-release episode, Jeremy Gibson-Roark returns to join hosts Garrett Hollembeak and Lindsey Joyce for a conversation about moving from reactive investigations to proactive prevention. Together, they explore why infection prevention plans should be living documents, how stronger co...

Why is it so difficult to trace a surgical site infection (SSI) back to one clear cause? On this special season co-release episode of First Case and Transmission Control, hosts Garrett Hollembeak and Lindsey Joyce are joined by Jeremy Gibson-Roark for an honest conversation about what really happens when an SSI investigation begins. Together, they explore why infection investigations are rarely st...

Every great podcast has a voice that brings each conversation to life. Over the past five years, Melanie Perry has been that voice for First Case. In this special release episode of the First Case Podcast, we celebrate Melanie's incredible journey as host, reflecting on the stories, guests, and moments that made this podcast such a valuable resource for the perioperative community. Joined by Justi...

Season 20 launches on July 6th!   In the meantime, please enjoy some of our favorite episodes from Season 10 of First Case. "Are you ready for the Time Out?" How many times have you asked or heard that question?   In the operating room we perform a Time Out prior to the start of every surgical case. But it wasn't always that way. Joining us today to share how the Time Out process began is Bill Duf...

Season 20 launches on July 6th!   In the meantime, please enjoy some of our favorite episodes from Season 10 of First Case. What is so dangerous about surgical smoke? Is it really that bad? Find out all about the very real dangers of surgical smoke in today's interview with Brenda Ulmer, Independent Perioperative Nurse Educator. We'll learn what's lurking in the surgical smoke that we're exposed t...

Season 20 launches on July 6th! In the meantime, please enjoy some of our favorite episodes from Season 10 of First Case. What is advocacy? How can we change practices within our facility and within our state? Joining us today to talk about all things advocacy is Kay Ball, PhD, RN, CNOR, CMLSO, FAAN, adjunct nursing professor at Otterbein University. Kay is a passionate OR nurse and nursing advoca...

Season 20 launches on July 6th! In the meantime, please enjoy some of our favorite episodes from Season 10 of First Case. How do our training programs teach us to advocate for ourselves and for our patients? In this season premiere of Season 10: Advocacy Unleashed, we sit down with Chris Blevins, CST, FAST, Senior Department Chair of Surgical Technology at South College, in Knoxville, TN. In today...

Even the best systems have moments when things go wrong. What matters most is how we respond. In the Season 19 finale of Sterile Processing 101, Jen Parrott returns to discuss what happens when things go wrong like wet packs, missing instruments, failed indicators, delays, and breakdowns in the process.  This episode is a powerful reminder that solving problems requires more than urgency. It requi...

How much thought do we really give to packaging… until something goes wrong? In today's interview, we explore the often-overlooked world of storage, shelf life, and event-related sterility with Malinda Elammari, CEO of Crown Point Consulting. From blue wrap and rigid containers to peel packs and transport practices, this episode breaks down why packaging is far more than a wrapper. In reality, it'...

How do you know the tray you just opened is truly ready for your patient? In Episode 6 of Sterile Processing 101, we sit down with Adam Okada to take a closer look at the indicators, tape, filters, and packaging features that communicate critical sterility information before instruments ever reach the field. Join us as we discuss what these indicators do, what they don't tell us, and why the OR te...

In this week's episode, we take a practical look at the science behind sterilization with Bobby Parker from Beyond Clean. From steam cycles to low-temperature, this episode breaks down the different ways instruments are processed and discusses why each method matters. You're also going to gain a clearer understanding of indicators, sterility assurance, and why sterilization takes more time than ma...

How reliable is the tray you open every day?  In today's episode, we step into inspection and assembly where cleaned instruments are tested, examined, and built into the trays your OR depends on. This conversation with Kevin Anderson highlights why tray assembly is about far more than checking off a count sheet. From instrument function testing and damaged equipment to borescopes, insulation testi...

What really happens after your case cart leaves the OR? To find out, we're diving into decontam to discover the critical next step in the instrument reprocessing lifecycle. From point-of-use treatment to manual and mechanical cleaning, this episode unpacks what it actually takes to get instruments safe, clean, and ready for the next patient. Joined by Julie Gorog, OR nurse and Clinical Education C...

What happens to your instruments during the case matters more than you think. In this interview with Mike Matthews, we break down point-of-use treatment and why sterile processing actually starts in the OR, not decontam. From biofilm risk to instrument damage, this episode highlights how small actions during a case have big downstream consequences. This episode challenges the "not my problem" mind...