Surgical Case Carts for Sterile Processing

Open or enclosed

Both are published. The choice is a workflow decision about handling and route, not a claim either of us should be making about anything else.

Open carts are stainless wire shelf units on a three sided frame with a push handle. They load and unload fast, you can see the whole cart at a glance, and they are far easier to clean because every surface is reachable. The manufacturer publishes them in two post heights and three shelf lengths.

Enclosed carts add doors and solid panels, in fixed-shelf and pull-out-shelf versions. They suit long routes, shared lifts and corridors that pass through public space, where staff want the contents contained and out of the way of traffic. The manufacturer publishes both styles but does not publish dimensions for them, so we get those confirmed per configuration before quoting rather than estimating them here.

Most departments end up with both: open carts for the short runs between assembly, staging and the sub-sterile side, enclosed carts for the trips that leave the department.

Published open case cart models

The manufacturer’s current published list. We confirm the model, shelf count and casters on the quote.

The manufacturer publishes overall dimensions of 24 by 36 by 48 inches for the WRSC3-42-2436FS, which is the useful number when you are checking a lift or a doorway. For the four shelf, 54 inch post models the published build is four stainless steel posts, three stainless wire shelves, one stainless solid shelf, a stainless three sided frame, a stainless push handle, four 5 inch swivel stainless poly stem casters with two brakes and Zerk grease fittings, and four donut bumpers.

Three shelf, 42 inchLower and shorter. Easier to see over, easier to push through a busy corridor, and the version that clears more lifts.

Four shelf, 54 inchMore trays per trip. Worth it where the route is straight and the lift is sized for it.

Solid bottom shelfThe published build pairs wire shelves with one solid shelf, which stops small items dropping through to the floor.

Choosing shelf spacing, casters and handles

• Start from the tray, not the cart. Measure your tallest routinely handled tray or container with its lid, add clearance for the hands that lift it, and that sets the shelf pitch. A cart that fits your trays with an inch to spare is worth more than a cart with an extra shelf.
• Count what one case needs. If a case needs three trays and a peel-pack tote, a three shelf cart carries one case comfortably and a four shelf cart carries one case plus the add-ons. Fleet size follows cases per day and turn time, not the other way round.
• Casters decide how it feels. The published open carts use 5 inch swivel casters with two brakes. Bigger wheels roll over thresholds and lift edges better; brakes matter where a cart is loaded on a slope or parked in a corridor.
• One handle, one direction. A single push handle gives the cart an obvious front, which keeps traffic predictable and keeps the pushing hands away from the load.
• Bumpers are not optional. Four donut bumpers are part of the published build. They are the cheapest thing on the cart and they protect the corridor as much as the cart.
• Plan the parking. Case carts need a home when they are not moving. Work out the staging footprint at the same time as the fleet size, or the corridor becomes the staging area by default.

Where they run

Assembly to stagingShort internal runs, usually open carts, loaded straight from the pack bench. Made-up carts waiting for a case need a defined parking area with clear aisles, not a corridor wall.

Beyond the department, the same carts move between the sterile processing suite and the operating room corridor, back through the soiled route, and out to satellite procedure areas. The route is what decides open versus enclosed, and the route is the first thing we ask about.

• Sterile processing — the department workflow page: rooms, routes and problems.
• Operating rooms — what happens at the other end of the trip.
• Central supply — bulk stock and the restock routes that feed the department.

Related pages

• Sterile processing storage — the parent hub for the department’s storage.
• Sterile wrap carts — hang-bar carts for the pack bench.
• Surgical instrument storage — baskets, bins and shelving for instrument sets and singles.
• Stainless work tables — the pack and prep surfaces the carts load from.
• Hamper and linen carts — the soiled and linen side of the same room.

Also useful

• Medical carts — the wider cart programme and every other cart family.
• Healthcare shelving — fixed shelving for staging and hold rooms.
• High-density storage — when the store room is out of floor space.

Resources

• Healthcare storage solutions — the hub for the whole programme.
• Healthcare Storage Design Center — free planning tools and intake checklists.
• Quantum Medical storage products — the manufacturer and its families.
• Medical carts in the Labs USA store — cart configurations available to order.

Surgical case cart FAQ