Pediatric crash carts are a vital piece of equipment for the safety of young patients in hospitals, emergency rooms, urgent care centers, and any other facility that may have to deal with a rapid health deterioration. Crash carts hold all of the supplies necessary to treat a patient in an emergency situation. For crash carts to truly be effective, they must be organized, standardized across the facility, and frequently stocked and checked to ensure all the supplies are readily available. Standardizing the pediatric crash carts at a healthcare facility has immense benefits and can lead to saving the life of a young patient in a health emergency.

What is Standardization?

To put it simply, standardization means reducing unnecessary variation in a process. In the healthcare setting there are many different processes that can be standardized to improve the overall efficiency of a facility. For example, exam rooms are a great case study for the benefits of standardization in healthcare. Some older practices give each physician their own exam room and allow them to set it up how they like. Traditionally, this hasn’t been a huge issue, but healthcare is more in demand nowadays, and the need for efficiency has increased. Therefore, standardizing all the exam rooms and setting them up in the same layout with the exact same supplies creates flexibility for who works in which space. This allows for extra efficiency because a doctor can work in any of the rooms that are not occupied, rather than having to wait for their specific room. This makes it possible to see more patients in a shorter amount of time and creates better overall efficiency of care.

The same principal applies to standardizing crash carts. When a medical emergency arises, there is no time to spare. Staff must be able to get all the necessary supplies to save a life in the shortest amount of time possible. Standardizing a facility’s crash carts is the best way to save time in these high-stress situations and therefore becomes the best way to save a patient’s life. Every cart should be set up and stocked in the same way, as well as frequently checked to ensure all the supplies are ready to go.

How to Properly Standardize Crash Carts

Crash carts are designed to contain all the supplies needed to treat a patient who experiences a sudden medical emergency. They are also designed to allow the staff to be able to understand exactly where the supplies or medications they need will be. Many crash carts, especially pediatric crash carts use a color system to divide the supplies in an organized and easy to understand way. Lakeside’s Pediatric Crash Cart uses this color system to make things easier on healthcare staff and allow them to focus on the patient rather than finding the right supplies.

Crash carts should be standardized across a facility, meaning that they should all be set up with the same supplies and equipment and organized in the same way. The color-coding system makes this easy to do. In addition to ensuring that all the supplies are in the right spot, staff should be trained on the carts so that they know them like the back of their hand. This allows them to focus their energy on the patient and not have to think twice about finding the supplies or equipment that they need in the moment.

What are the Benefits of Standardizing Crash Carts?

Standardizing crash carts has various benefits but the most noticeable is the improved efficiency that it creates for a healthcare facility. Emergencies can be taken care of more smoothly when all the supplies are in the correct spots. Sudden medical emergencies are inherently very stressful situations but having a well-organized and stocked crash cart will help take some of the stress out of the equation. Patients are always the first priority and having a crash cart ready to go at all times allows staff to truly focus all of their energy on the patient. Rather than wasting critical time looking for the supplies in the case of an emergency, staff can spend that time treating the patient and using those supplies that are already prepared for them

During a medical emergency there is no time to waste and crash carts save this valuable time. A study was conducted by the University of Kentucky to examine if well-stocked crash carts along with well-trained staff convert into time savings. The conclusions that they reached were that standardizing crash cart design greatly reduced the time to find supplies in these high-stress, high-risk situations. Additionally, the study found that this was accomplished with reduced financial cost. It is noted that refresher training was required over time as skill degradation did occur with the staff. It’s always a smart idea to have regular refresher training sessions with staff in order to curb the stress levels as much as possible in an emergency. The full parameters for the study can be found here.

To put it in simple terms, standardization works. Standardizing pediatric crash carts is especially important for facilities and can potentially save a life that could’ve otherwise been lost due to lost time spent looking for supplies.

 

Lakeside understands the importance of standardized equipment in healthcare facilities and will work with you to help accomplish this goal. Check out our full line of crash carts, and get in touch with us to figure out how we can improve your facility’s efficiency through the standardization of mobile equipment!

Every healthcare facility has expensive and valuable supplies that they need to keep secure. Oftentimes medications and other supplies used to treat patients are at the top of this list. It’s crucial that hospitals don’t let these supplies get into the wrong hands, and ensure that they are organized and labeled to keep track of the long list of medicines that they have. The best way to keep these essential supplies in order is with well-made, secure narcotics cabinets.

Narcotics cabinets are made specifically to keep expensive drugs, medicines, and other highly valuable supplies locked and secured when they are not being used. There are various regulations for the level of security required for narcotics cabinets based on jurisdictions, but they are all in place with one common goal: to keep medications in the right hands. There are many different narcotics cabinets on the market, but here are some must have features of good quality narcotics cabinets:

Durable Material construction:

The first feature of any quality narcotics cabinets is the material that it is made with. For top-of-the-line security and durability, it’s a smart idea to use steel or a material with similar properties. If a narcotics cabinet is made with a cheaper, less-durable material it simply won’t be as secure as its steel counterparts. All of Lakeside’s narcotics cabinets are made with powder-coated steel to ensure their strength and durability, as well as making the cabinets have an attractive finish.

Locking System:

Maybe the most important feature of narcotics cabinets, the locking system is crucial to ensure the security of its contents. There are many different types of locking systems out there, but you should choose what will be right for your facility. Lakeside offers both single and double key locking systems in the basic narcotics cabinets. Depending on the size of your facility, and the number of staff who will need access to the medications, a single or double key lock might be the perfect solution. For supplies that don’t need quite as much security, a single key lock might do the trick, but for high value medications a double key lock would be the better option in order to ensure that nobody is able to steal a single key and get access.

Lakeside also offers the High-Security Narcotics Cabinets that have two different locking system options available. The electronic keypad lock allows you to create a code from over 250 possible combinations and has a key override in case of emergencies or forgotten codes. These cabinets also come with a self-contained backup battery to ensure that the right people will never lose access to the supplies. Additionally, Lakeside offers optional full audit trail capabilities to allow you to see when the cabinets have been accessed and track what has been taken out.

The other lock option for our High-Security Narcotics Cabinets is a proximity card reader. With all the same optional and standard features as the electronic keypad, the proximity reader is another method of ensuring that the cabinets can only be opened by those with proper authority.

Double Doors:

Many narcotics cabinets feature double doors, each with their own lock to further secure the valuable contents. Lakeside’s basic narcotics cabinets are offered in the double door style, with both doors constructed from powder coated steel, which adds an extra level of security for facilities that want to be completely sure that nobody without proper access will be able to get to the medications.

Adjustable Shelving:

A good quality narcotics cabinet should be flexible. That’s why Lakeside’s narcotics cabinets feature adjustable shelves. Over time, what you need to store in secure spaces will likely change, and your facility should have a secure storage option that allows for this flexibility. Adjustable shelves allow you to switch around the contents when needed, as well as facilitate better organization which is crucial for these highly valuable medications.

Flexible Mounting System:

In addition to the flexibility of the adjustable shelves, Lakeside’s narcotics cabinets can also be mounted to allow the doors to open from either the left or right side. This means that the cabinets can work in any facility without having to struggle to get the supplies out. Left sided mounting is standard, but there are certain locations where this won’t work which is why our narcotics cabinets are made with flexibility in mind.

 

Narcotics cabinets are essential for healthcare facilities everywhere in order to protect the valuable medications. While there are many options on the market, it’s always smart to invest in high-quality cabinets that will last for a long time. Lakeside’s cabinets are designed to last for many years in your facility, and the flexibility that is standard in our narcotics cabinets allows for you to change things up as needed over time. Get in touch with us to learn more about how our narcotics cabinets can improve your facility’s security, and check out all of the options for our narcotics cabinets here!

It’s important for hospitals to remain organized in order to function to the best of their abilities and keep track of all the different patients with various ailments at the same time.

The best way for healthcare facilities to keep track of everything they have going on is to have the right equipment solutions in place in order to continue operating smoothly and efficiently. One specific area where having the right equipment is truly essential is anesthesia.

Anesthesia is a very important part of many operations in order to ensure the patient is comfortable and safe. There’s not always a lot of time to prepare and make sure that all of the supplies are where they need to be.

For instance, if a patient comes to a hospital in an ambulance and is in immediate need of surgery, staff won’t have much time to prepare an OR for them. This is why anesthesia carts are so crucial for hospitals to have ready to go at any time.

So how do you know that you have the right anesthesia cart for your facility?

Lakeside manufactures various styles of anesthesia carts to make sure that you can find the perfect fit for your hospital, and many features are modifiable to make sure it fits right in with your facility’s other equipment.

Classic Anesthesia Carts:

Lakeside’s Classic Anesthesia Carts are the a great option if you’re looking for a standard cart that will meet all of your needs. Additionally, the Classic line is highly customizable and comes in 23 standard colors to help maintain organization throughout your facility. An essential part of a well-made anesthesia cart is a locking system. Our Classic Carts come with a choice of electronic lock or proximity card reader which both have a key override for emergencies. It’s always smart to keep your anesthesia supplies locked to make sure that the appropriate staff are the only ones with access.

We offer various sizes of the Classic Anesthesia Cart, but all have customizable drawer and panel options to make sure your staff have quick and easy access to the supplies they need.

All models feature dual-wall construction and an outrigger stabilizing frame for top-of-the-line durability and to ensure stability while transporting the cart. To further aid in quick and easy transport of the cart, they are equipped with world-class 5” sealed bearing, non-marking casters and twin ergo push handles. Our classic line of anesthesia carts also features premium ball-bearing drawer glides for simple opening and closing of the drawers. We also offer a wide range of accessory packages to complete you anesthesia cart with everything you could need.

The Classic Anesthesia Carts have the following accessory kit options:

Standard: Includes utility hooks, trays, and drawer dividers.

Elite: Includes Trellis System, Tilt 5-bin unit, HD railing, Side Shelf, Waste Container and accessory bar bracket.

Ultimate: Includes all accessories in Elite kit plus tape dispenser, divided organizer with lid, catheter holder, tray with dividers and ampule holders, label holders, and a wire basket.

Preferred Anesthesia Carts:

The Preferred Anesthesia Carts offer the same level of flexibility, security, and organization as the Classic Carts, but also come with extra benefits. Mainly, the Preferred Anesthesia Carts are 20% lighter than the Classic models, making them easier to maneuver around a facility quickly and saving staff from unnecessary strain from moving around heavy loads. The Preferred models also have integrated twin ergo push handles, an outrigger stabilizing frame, and attractive 5” non-marking casters.

Adding accessories to any of our Preferred Carts is made simple by mounting them to the integrated extruded corners and accessory mounting panels on the sides and back of the carts. Another innovative feature of the Preferred models is two slide-out shelves which provide extra work surface and prep area. The Preferred Anesthesia Carts are also offered in 23 standard colors to ensure the attractive design works with your facility’s color scheme.

The Preferred Anesthesia Carts have the following accessory kit options:

Standard: Includes glove box holder, waste container, trays, and dividers.

Elite: Includes narrow single shelving unit, hanging bar, tilt 5-bin unit, and a sharps bracket in addition to the standard kit accessories.

Ultimate: Includes all of the elite kit accessories plus Trellis system, tilt 4-bin unit, tubular rail, tape dispenser, wire basket, waste container with touch top, and ampule holders.

Mini Tower Anesthesia Carts:

If your facility is in need of an anesthesia cart that won’t take up too much space then the Mini Tower Anesthesia Cart is the solution for you.

These models feature a slim profile and compact design to help save space at your facility. Although they may be slimmer, the Mini Tower Carts are just as durable as other models as they also feature dual-walled construction.

They also have quiet ball-bearing drawer glides for full extension drawer opening. Like our other anesthesia carts, these models also come in 23 standard color options and have plenty of accessories to make the perfect cart for your hospital.

Wide Anesthesia Cart:

Another option if you find that you’re running out of storage space, is the Wide Anesthesia Cart. This model adds the most value when you need a lot of storage space for your anesthesia supplies. The cart uses aluminum construction in order to reduce its weight. The Wide Anesthesia Cart comes with all of the same great features as the Classic models, but adds extra storage space so you don’t have to restock as frequently.

Accessory Options: All of our anesthesia carts have various accessory options available to add on to your order to personalize your cart and make sure it is the best solution for your facility.

Check out our Anesthesia Carts online for a comprehensive look at all of the customizable options! Get in touch to see how our Anesthesia Carts can help your facility function efficiently!

Clean rooms are a very important feature of pharmaceutical, laboratories, research and other specialized healthcare fields. Clean rooms have some of the most intense sanitary requirements of any space in the healthcare industry. In order to hold themselves to those high standards, cleanrooms have to be equipped with the right equipment.

The main requirements for cleanrooms comes in the form of air quality. In fact, there are different classifications for cleanrooms based on the amount of particulates that circulate in the air.

To give an idea of how clean the air in these specialized facilities is, the air in a typical room has around 35,000,000 particles that are larger than or equal to 0.5μm. Meanwhile a class 100 or ISO 5 cleanroom, which is in the middle of the cleanroom classification system, has about 3,500 particles of the same size. There are various methods that are used to achieve this extremely high air quality, but it comes mainly through highly sophisticated air purification systems.

In order to maintain the extreme air quality, all of the equipment and supplies that are inside of a cleanroom have to be easy to clean and sanitize, as well as remain sanitized for extended periods of time. This means that the equipment inside of the room is almost, if not just as important as the initial design and construction of the space.

Lakeside understands these intense requirements for cleanrooms in specialized medical fields, and has many pieces of mobile equipment that can be utilized in these spaces. Additionally, because of the extremely high cleanliness standards, some equipment that is used in cleanrooms has to be custom designed and built for the specific application in these areas.

This is where Lakeside Custom Solutions can help by working with you to create the perfect solution for your facility. We’ve done it in the past for these specialized spaces and we are always up to the challenge of creating the best equipment solutions for your cleanroom.

The Project

When a state of the art pharmaceutical lab needed specialized equipment for their clean room environment, they came to Lakeside Custom Solutions to design and bring to life the equipment that they had in their minds for the space. This lab needed custom designed workstations for processing lab samples and tests in their clean room environment.

The Challenge

This project had its challenges due to the specific application that the workstations were needed for. Each workstation had to accommodate four centrifuges that required extreme stability in order to get accurate results. The centrifuges were designed to apply centrifugal force to the test tube contents in order to separate solids and fluids of different densities.

In addition to being super stable, the workstations also had to be able to support test processing end-to-end without a technician leaving the station. This meant that the stations had to be adequately comfortable to allow for a technician to remain for extended periods of time without aches and pains.

In order to develop the best solution for this pharmaceutical lab’s cleanroom, Lakeside had to take all of these different elements into consideration to create the perfect all-in-one workstation. The final design and manufactured product had to be comfortable for the technician to work from, stable enough to support the testing, and easily sanitized to work in the extreme clean room environment.

The Solution

The workstation solution featured overhead shelving for extra sanitary storage space. The final product also contained a table mounted bio trash bin for secure disposal of spent supplies. In order to eliminate any table movement from the centrifugal force, the solution also featured high gauge stainless steel cross sections with large diameter legs. This sturdy design ensured accurate test results from the workstation as well as the safety of the technicians who worked there.

This is just one example of how Lakeside Custom Solutions can improve your facility’s effectiveness in these specialized areas, but we also have many standard products that can be useful for these areas. Well-built, sturdy equipment is a staple in the healthcare industry, and in the testing space where results are key, this high quality equipment is even more important.

Different equipment categories such as case carts, equipment stands, and surgical tables can all be very useful in a clean room environment for various needs. Additionally, special equipment such as the Hyperthermia Cart can be extremely useful if certain tests needs to be kept at cold temperatures in a clean, sanitary environment.

If your facility has equipment needs for your cleanroom or other specialized medical field, get in touch with us and we can explore standard options that can add value to your facility. If the standard products aren’t quite what you’re looking for, then Lakeside Custom Solutions will work with you to create the perfect pieces of equipment to achieve your goals!

If you’re not convinced that we’ll be able to bring your vision to life, check out some of the other projects that we’ve worked on!

Vaccines have been a big talking point in the news recently, as there is still a large push to get more Americans vaccinated against COVID-19. Additionally, there has been talk about a potential third dose of vaccines for those who have already received the first two shots.

Regardless of if the third booster shot comes to fruition or not, hospitals need to continue to be prepared with the right essential equipment to administer vaccines to the public.

Top 5 Equipment Essentials

PPE Storage Carts

Every hospital and healthcare facility, especially those which are planning continued administration of vaccines, need to be prepared with proper PPE for staff and visitors. With a large supply of PPE, your facility has to have a plan to be able to effectively store and transport the PPE without risking contamination or getting unorganized and losing supplies.

PPE Storage Carts from Lakeside are the perfect solution for both storing and transporting PPE all around a facility, so your staff can focus more on the patient and not worry about having the right supplies to treat them. These carts are available in a range of sizes from compact to standard size to high-volume, all with various benefits.

Utility Carts

Utility carts are a staple in all healthcare facilities and are extremely useful in the vaccine administration process. Every facility needs a well-built cart that can be used for various applications and transport equipment and supplies throughout their building with ease. Lakeside’s utility carts are built to fulfil this need for hospitals around the world. The 311 is our classic cart that has been a customer favorite since Lakeside was founded.

The stainless steel construction makes it super durable and gives it top-notch strength as well as ensuring that the cart is easy to disinfect and sanitize after use. Another great solution if the 311 isn’t right for your needs is the Plastic Utility Cart.

Our plastic utility cart has a capacity of 300 lbs. so that it can transport heavy loads of supplies and devices that will be needed to vaccinate your visitors, while being slightly less heavy than the stainless steel alternative. This makes our plastic utility carts easy to maneuver around a facility for any staff member. Additionally, all of our utility carts are the perfect piece of equipment to fasten a sharps container to for needle disposal, which bring us to the next essential for vaccination stations.

Universal Sharps Container Bracket

Every vaccine that is given out through a needle and syringe leave you with a contaminated supply that must be disposed of. This is where a sharps container comes into play where you can deposit needles that have already been used to inject a patient with a vaccine or other types of medication.

Our Universal Sharps Container Bracket is designed to work with any type of sharps container with adjustable 36” nylon straps and a Velcro fastener to secure your contaminated needles. The bracket is perfect for attaching a container to a mobile piece of equipment such as a utility cart so that you can bring your vaccination station with you wherever it is needed in a facility.

Cold Storage Hyperthermia Cart

Like many other vaccines, many of the COVID-19 vaccines are required to be stored at low temperatures to ensure their integrity and effectiveness. This can be a hard thing to do, but the cold storage hyperthermia cart makes it easy with an integrated refrigerator with easy to use touch controls already built in. The cart also comes equipped with a vented back and built in power cord and power control in order to allow your staff to focus on the most important thing: the patient.

This cart also has vertical push handles to facilitate the transport of vaccines around a facility as well as a removable plastic top which allows for extra work surface and simple sanitization after use.

Instrument Tables and Utility Stands

Another thing that a great vaccination station needs is ample work surface area. If you need a lot of extra work area and somewhere to keep your supplies, an Instrument Table with an undershelf is the answer for you. These tables provide extra work and storage area and are built on sturdy casters allowing you to place or easily move the table to a different location.

These tables are also part of our rapid response quick-ship products meaning that we will get you them in little time, allowing you to start benefitting immediately. The tables also come in different sizes so that you can get the perfect fit for your facility.

If you don’t need as much work surface and want a smaller solution that also has extra storage space, then the compact utility stand is the solution you are looking for.

With a capacity of 300 lbs. this equipment stand can still carry and store a large amount of supplies, devices, or equipment that you will need in the vaccination process. The stainless steel material allows for durability and cleanability while still providing great strength. With two shelves and a top shelf with available locking options, you can be sure to store all valuables and supplies in this compact but strong multi-functional piece of equipment.

Vaccines are an essential part of healthcare, which is why Lakeside wants to help provide our hospitals with the essential equipment that they need to seamlessly vaccinate their patients.

Get in touch with us, and let us know how we can improve your vaccination stations!

Hospitals are a pivotal part of our society and we rely on them to provide care and advice when we need it most.

In order for hospitals to run smoothly, they need to have the right equipment to function at peak efficiency. One of the key components of any hospitals’ equipment is the standardized cart system which has a large impact on the overall efficiency of the facility.

Being able to keep supplies, medications, and other essentials organized is key to improving a hospital’s productivity, and it’s all made easy with the France Hopital and Lakeside collaboration.

The Preciso line is more than just carts, it’s a hospital-wide lean replenishment system designed to improve productivity and efficiency.

But what exactly makes the Preciso line superior to other standardized cart systems?

What puts Preciso a step ahead?

The most innovative feature of the Preciso system is the completely removable and interchangeable storage components. Being able to remove the drawers out of a cart and immediately replace it with another stocked drawer saves loads of time and allows your staff to perform their tasks more effectively. The carts can be configured to work with drawers, trays, doors, and bins that can all be switched out for each other with ease, making sure that you have the right supplies for the job with you, whatever the job may be in the facility.

How does it work?

There are many different models of Preciso Medical Carts, but the best way to keep them all organized and ready to transport to their destination is by using the Logistics Supply Carts. The logistics carts are made to be placed in a central storage location that your staff can then go to in order to refill and stock the smaller, easy to maneuver, medical carts. The logistics carts are large supply storage carts that accommodate all different types of drawers, trays, and bins where you can store large amounts of supplies. Instead of having to completely restock all of the medical carts, an already stocked tray can simply be switched over from the logistics carts to the medical carts which can then be immediately transported to a patient room or other destination.

This system supports lean principles and efficient operations and saves your staff tons of time and hassle that would be spent individually restocking each cart. The Preciso system allows your staff to focus on the most important thing in the hospital: the patients.

What other features do Preciso Carts have?

Preciso medical carts are built to last using a plastic-aluminum hybrid construction with the back and side walls being reinforced with aluminum and polyethylene for added durability. The top and base are made with molded ABS plastic that allows for easy sanitization after use with patients.

Push and Go Drawers

The Preciso carts come equipped with heavy-duty, full extension push and go drawers that help save time and won’t get stuck open or closed. The drawers also come with a front handle for easy access, as well as a label holder and color I.D. tag for clear identification of the contents.

Extendable Side Shelf

Work surface area can be limited in some rooms of the hospital, which is why the Preciso Medical Carts come standard with a convenient extendable side shelf.

Dual Wheel Casters

These carts are built on top of 5” non-marking anti-thread casters which make moving the cart around to various locations in your facility simple for the staff. There are brakes on two of the casters to ensure the cart stays in its location when necessary.

Lock options available

Preciso medical carts also come with various locking methods available. If you have valuable supplies or medications that need to be secured, you have the option for either a key lock or push button locking system for extra security.

Modern Design

The entire line of Preciso carts is designed to fit right in with any hospital’s design scheme, with multiple color options available, and an attractive modern design, these carts take your equipment to a whole new level.

The equipment that is used in hospitals is more important than many believe. With the right equipment solutions, hospital staff can save loads of time and effort that is sometime spent on the wrong tasks, especially when it comes to standardized cart systems that healthcare facilities rely on to transport their supplies around.

The Preciso line of carts is designed with lean principles in the front of mind and will save your staff plenty of unnecessary trips to the central supply hub, boosting productivity and allowing you to focus on your patients.

For a better visual on how the Preciso System really works, check out this video that shows off some of the great innovative features of the carts. Get in touch with us for more information about the Preciso system and how it can improve your hospital’s workflow!

Cleaning and sanitization is extremely important in order to prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria within hospitals and other facilities.

Healthcare-associated infections, or “HAIs” are a serious threat in the industry for doctors, nurses, patients, and other healthcare workers expose themselves to this danger everyday. The best way to prevent HAIs is through sound sanitization protocols and cleaning methods.

Proper disinfection is also very crucial in ambulatory care and home settings, which are becoming a more common type of treatment especially since the coronavirus pandemic hit. Many patients who are cared for in this type of setting are immunocompromised or have communicable diseases meaning that sanitization is very important. The home setting is generally much safer than the hospitals because there are not as many patients in the same area, meaning that there are not as many transmittable diseases either. However, it is still crucial to keep any area disinfected where care is given to protect everyone in the setting.

According the CDC, surfaces are considered noncritical items because they usually only come into contact with intact skin, meaning that they’re typically not an immediate threat for causing infections.

However, surfaces are further broken into housekeeping surfaces and medical equipment surfaces, which have similar recommended protocols and disinfectant agents, but vary in the frequency in which they should be cleaned.

There are several reasons why you should use a disinfectant on noncritical surfaces, five of which are highlighted by the CDC:

1. Hospital floors become contaminated by microorganisms from airborne bacteria, contact with dirty shoes, wheels and other equipment. In order to properly clean these floors, the use of a disinfectant is necessary. If you try to just use soap and water to mop the floors it will be much less effective than a recommended phenolic disinfectant.
2. Detergents become contaminated and can lead to spreading bacteria across the floor and facility. In fact, when using soap and water the mop water becomes more dirty the more you use it and leads to contamination. Using a disinfectant can prevent this unnecessary contamination from occurring.
3. The CDC recommends that any noncritical equipment that is contaminated with blood, bodily fluids, secretions, or excretions should be cleaned and sanitized immediately after use. Bodily fluids can easily contaminate surfaces and spread diseases if they are from a patient infected with a infectious disease.
4. I addition to the CDC, OSHA requires that surfaces contaminated with blood or other potentially infections materials be disinfected before put into use again.
5. It can be hard to keep track of lots of various cleaning materials and disinfectant agents, which is why using a single product throughout a facility can simplify training and the regular practice of cleaning.

Although it may be easier to use a single disinfectant for all types of equipment in a hospital, is it really the best way to prevent the spread of infections? Let’s take a look at some common materials used in the healthcare industry and the proper ways to sanitize them.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is one of the most common materials used in the healthcare industry and is used for a variety of equipment and tools. There’s a good reason for its prevalence in the industry and that is because it is very easy to disinfect and has its own antimicrobial properties. However, in order for your stainless to do its job effectively, it still has to be disinfected properly with a good product. Typically it’s not recommended to use bleach on stainless but rather use a disinfectant such as Lysol, and to rinse afterwards with clean water to ensure the metal’s integrity. For more information on how to properly sanitize stainless steel check out this blog!

Aluminum

Aluminum is another very common metal that is found in healthcare facilities. Although it doesn’t have as many inherit antimicrobial properties as stainless steel, aluminum is still a very good material to use for various medical equipment. When disinfecting aluminum it’s important to use a PH-neutral disinfectant rather than bleach, vinegar-based solutions, or acidic-based solutions. These types of disinfectant are effective at getting rid of germs and bacteria, but over time they can start to corrode and damage the metal.

Plastic

Typically, the types of plastic used in healthcare facilities can stand up to harsher disinfectants than metal, and there are a variety of ways to sanitize them. Bleach is usually ok to use with plastic and does a very good job of disinfecting the equipment, as long as it is thoroughly washed off afterwards to prevent anyone coming into direct contact with the solution. Check out the product information from the manufacturer for more details on how to sanitize your specific plastic equipment.

Laundry and other Fabrics

Just like every household, every healthcare facility has to deal with dirty laundry. Laundry that is potentially contaminated can spread diseases and bacteria unless it is properly transported and cleaned. The best way to sanitize laundry is to make sure that it is safely transported in an enclosed space such as an Adjustable Folding Linen Hamper, and then brought to the washing machines for full cleaning.

Additionally, whenever cleaning, sterilizing, or disinfecting any type of material, proper PPE should be worn at all times. This prevents the spread of infectious diseases to not only other patients and staff, but also the person in charge of the actual cleaning process.

Hospitals are ripe with germs and bacteria which is why implementing effective disinfection protocols is so important in these areas. For more information on how to clean your equipment, or if you’re curious on what other types of solutions Lakeside has to help prevent HAI’s and the spread of germs in healthcare facilities, get in touch with us!

Ever since the start of the pandemic, hospitals and other healthcare facilities have had to put a much larger emphasis on cleaning and sanitization. Keeping hospitals sanitized and disinfected has always been important, but the coronavirus brought it to the forefront of everyone’s minds due to its highly contagious nature and uncertainty of how it was being spread in the early stages of the pandemic.

With this new focus on cleaning protocols, what is the best material for medical equipment? Many experts agree that stainless steel is still the leading material in the healthcare industry.

So what makes stainless steel so special and why is it easier to clean than other metals, plastics, and ceramics?

There’s many reason why stainless is the industry standard for many pieces and parts of equipment, but it starts with the chemical composition of the metal. Stainless steel is an iron-based alloy that has at least 10.5% chromium and less than 1.2% carbon. There are many different metals and elements in stainless as well, and the amount present in the steel varies depending on the grade. These metals and elements include nickel, molybdenum, titanium, copper, carbon, and nitrogen and they all add something different to the stainless steel.

The unique composition of stainless steel gives the metal a very special property which is its resistance to rust and corrosion. This property is what makes stainless one of the easiest materials to sanitize and disinfect, and comes from the addition of chromium to the alloy.

When exposed to oxygen, a chromium-oxide film forms on the surface of the metal which acts as a barrier between the metal and the outside environment. Additionally, the film has the ability to self-heal if it is broken, ensuring that the metal is safe from rust and corrosion. This self-healing film also ensures that no bacteria are viruses can stay on the stainless steel after it is properly disinfected.

Other materials do not have this unique property and can get micro cracks, dents, and scratches where bacteria can stay even after being cleaned. Some scratches and micro cracks aren’t even visible which means that they could be harboring bacteria without your knowledge.

Stainless steel is super easy to clean as long as you know what you’re doing and have the right tools for the job. Some great disinfectants to use are Lysol wipes and Lysol sprays or any similar products that have disinfectants in them. However, it is important to wash the surface afterwards with fresh water because these products can actually be harmful for the stainless if they are left on for too long.

Additionally, if there is potentially dangerous bacteria or germs that are known to be on the surface of the stainless it is a smart idea to wear proper PPE to protect yourself while cleaning the equipment. If you are using a spray and need to figure out what to actually clean the surface with, do not use steel wool or other steel brushes as they can be too abrasive and create scratches that make it much harder to fully sanitize. The best cleaning supplies are soft cloths, gentle brushes and sponges to ensure proper disinfection without harming the stainless steel.

Believe it or not, there is actually a right and a wrong way to clean your stainless steel equipment. To effectively clean a stainless steel surface, you should start by using hot water and soap to rub down the entire surface. Next, you can use a disinfectant such as Lysol and rub the stainless in the same direction as the steel grain for maximum effectiveness.

This should be followed by rinsing the equipment thoroughly with fresh water. Finally, you should wipe the stainless completely dry to ensure that it’s disinfected and ready once again for use. This process should be done after use or anytime that you believe the stainless may have been exposed to harmful germs and bacteria. For a full look at the process, check out this great video for a full breakdown of the proper way to disinfect stainless.

Stainless steel is great because it’s super easy to clean, but that’s not the only reason why it is one of the most popular materials for equipment in the healthcare industry. Stainless is also extremely strong an durable, something that hospitals need in their equipment. Stainless steel carts for example, are able to carry much heavier loads than their aluminum counterparts. The Lakeside 311 Utility Cart has an impressive carrying capacity of 300 lbs. while only weighing in at around 30 lbs. Carts like this are also great because they are very hard to dent or scratch during everyday use.

Stainless steel has been one of the best materials in the healthcare industry for a long time, and it’s not going to go anywhere anytime soon. The benefits of this material are quite numerous and investing in well-made stainless steel equipment is always going to pay off at the end of the day. Lakeside manufacturing makes many types of equipment using stainless steel and are committed to ensuring all of it is top-of-the-line quality. Get in touch with us and ask how we can help implement stainless steel equipment that will last for years into your facility!

Most hospitals have one thing in common: the need for more space.

Expanding a building’s space can be extremely expensive, time consuming, and can put certain parts of your facility out of service for extended periods of time due to construction. The better option for most healthcare facilities is to use the space that they currently have more efficiently and effectively. So how can a facility make better use of their space?

Space efficiency starts with the initial design of the healthcare facility, and should absolutely be taken into consideration when building new departments, or adding on to an existing space. However, many hospitals have been around for a long time and when they were first designed, using the space inside the facility the most efficiently may not have been taken into account. If this is the case, then the hospital must learn how to use its space in a more efficient way.

There are various ways to begin using space more effectively, and it can vary for different departments inside of a hospital.

For example, the waiting room should be designed and used in a much different way than the operating room in order to achieve optimal space efficiency. However, with all of the various spaces inside of healthcare facilities, there is one universal way to save space and work smarter: Investing in good quality, versatile equipment that is designed to save space.

Let’s take a look at some of the space-saving equipment solutions that Lakeside manufactures.

Case Carts

One piece of equipment that every hospital needs is good quality case carts for surgical operations and other day-to-day tasks.

Case carts can come in various shapes and sizes, and all different models have their benefits. If your facility’s already struggling with creating enough space for surgeons to work comfortably and the operating room is crammed, then the space-saving case cart solutions are the best option.

Lakeside has various space-saving case cart models, including the Deluxe 1-Door Case Cart. This case cart is designed to fit in small spaces and functions as an additional work surface. The cart comes with an adjustable, pull-out stainless steel shelf with the option to choose from wire, solid stainless, or perforated stainless, all of which have their own advantages. Being a smaller cart, you might expect that the Deluxe 1-Door Case Cart isn’t as strong as some of the other solutions that Lakeside offers, but this cart is still super durable.

In fact, the shelves are mounted on polyoxymethylene heavy-duty, low friction slides that allow for 50% pull-out of shelves to prevent tipping and hold up to 70 lbs. of supplies. The door on this compact case cart opens to 270 degrees and includes a slam/catch to hold the door in the open position, allowing easy access to the contents. Additionally, this deluxe case cart has built-in, integrated angled handles that allow for easy maneuvering along with the premium sealed MedCasters that it is built upon.

Another great space-saving solution is the Deluxe 1-Door Low Profile Case Cart. This cart comes with all of the same amazing standard features as the Deluxe 1-Door Case Cart, but is built with a lower frame which can save even more space in a crammed operating room. The internal cavity of the Deluxe 1-Door Case Carts is designed for easy cleaning and draining with an optional integrated floor drain with or without a plug for faster drying after sanitization.

Lakeside Manufacturing understands the need for space in the healthcare industry and is dedicated to creating solutions to optimize the space in your facility. Get in touch with us and ask us how we can help save space in your facility!

Cleanrooms have some of the strictest cleanliness standards out of any facilities, and are ranked in different levels depending on the amount of contaminants present in the air.

Lakeside Manufacturing specializes in producing mobile equipment for the healthcare and foodservice industries, but our equipment can be used in many other industries as well. Specialized medical fields like pharmaceuticals and labs can benefit from Lakeside’s mobile equipment, and with Lakeside Custom Solutions, we have the ability to build the perfect answer for your facility’s needs.

Some medical fields have extremely stringent requirements and sanitary standards, and Lakeside has products that are designed to be easily cleaned and remain sanitary for long periods of time. Let’s look at laboratories for example, which are crucial for research and testing of medical products. Due to the extreme precision that these labs need, they can’t risk allowing contaminants to interfere with their studies and potentially produce wrong results. Because of this, labs have extremely tight standards for cleanliness and the equipment that they can use.

This is where Lakeside can help, with products than ensure no outside contaminants can interfere with the test results. Surgical Case Carts for example, are designed to ensure the contents remain sanitized and are ready to use whenever they are needed. This is another field with very strict sanitary requirements, and Lakeside has perfected the case cart to ensure that these standards are met with flying colors.

Case carts and other mobile equipment can be very useful for labs that need to store their equipment or even their test results while ensuring that they will not be effected by the outside environment. Some other products that can be utilized in labs include utility carts, medical carts, equipment stands, instrument tables, and other specialized medical carts depending on what the lab is working on. However, in addition to all of the great standard products that add value in laboratories, Lakeside Custom Solutions can make the vision you have in your mind come to life when it comes to specialized equipment.

Another medical field where Lakeside’s equipment can be utilized is the pharmaceutical industry. This field also has very strict requirements as they can’t risk anything getting into their drugs and medications. Creating medicine is a crucial part of the healthcare industry and the testing and manufacturing of these drugs faces intense regulations in order to ensure their safety. Lakeside is here to help with the equipment side of the industry because having the right equipment to store and transport supplies is an essential part of the pharmaceutical process.

Some pharmaceutical facilities need very specialized equipment depending on what type of medication they are working on. For example, some medications need to be stored at extremely low temperatures, such as some of the COVID-19 vaccines which were recently rolled out. Lakeside has the capabilities to facilitate this with products such as the Hyperthermia Cart which has a built-in integrated refrigerator. Other facilities will need to transport very heavy machinery and equipment around, which Lakeside’s Utility Carts have proven to be able to execute without hiccups.

The capacity of the utility cart depends on the model, but Lakeside manufactures carts with capacities up to 1,500 lbs. which are still able to be maneuvered and transported with relative ease. Whatever your pharmaceutical facility may need in the equipment department, Lakeside has the solution.

Cleanrooms are an important aspect of both medical labs as well as pharmaceutical facilities, and are used in many other industries as well. Cleanrooms have some of the strictest cleanliness standards out of any facilities, and are ranked in different levels depending on the amount of contaminants present in the air.

Cleanrooms also control variables like temperature, humidity, and air flow in order to create the perfect environment for testing, manufacturing or whatever it is being used for. Lakeside understands the extreme standards that these cleanrooms have for outside contaminants and makes many different products which could be used in these spaces.

Well-made, sturdy, and sanitary utility and case carts can be helpful for cleanrooms when they need to store and transport supplies and materials. Lakeside uses high-quality stainless steel to make these essential mobile pieces of equipment, and if the standard product offerings aren’t sufficient, then Lakeside Custom Solutions can create the perfect cart to meet any and all strict requirements that cleanrooms have.

Contact us to learn how our products can help make your lab, pharmaceutical facility, cleanroom, or other specialized department run more efficiently. Additionally, check out the Lakeside Custom Solutions website to learn more about our capabilities and projects that we’ve worked on in the past.