In which risk category do surgical instruments belong?

Surgical instruments fall into the critical risk category because they are used in invasive procedures that enter sterile tissues, cavities, or the vascular system. Since these instruments are directly involved in surgical operations, they have a high potential for transmitting infections if not properly sterilized before use.

Critical items, such as surgical instruments, are required to undergo sterilization processes to eliminate all forms of microbial life, including bacterial spores. This rigorous sterilization is essential to ensure patient safety and prevent postoperative infections. Other categories, such as noncritical and semicritical, refer to items that have lower infection risks and consequently different cleaning and disinfection protocols. Noncritical items may come into contact only with intact skin, while semicritical items contact mucous membranes. Thus, the significance of sterilizing surgical instruments categorizes them clearly within the critical level of risk.