Cotton balls are small, compressible bundles of absorbent fiber used throughout healthcare for simple, high-frequency tasks like applying solutions, wiping small areas, absorbing minor fluid, and protecting delicate skin. They are sometimes regulated as a low-risk medical device or medical consumable, but classification varies by jurisdiction.
Non sterile gauze pad is a high-volume, disposable medical device used across nearly every clinical area—from emergency departments and outpatient clinics to inpatient wards and procedural spaces. It is simple in design, but operationally important: it supports routine care (cleaning, absorbing, padding, protecting skin) and helps teams maintain workflow when time and supplies are constrained.
Sterile gauze sponge is a single-use, sterile, absorbent medical device used to manage blood and other fluids, protect tissues, and support aseptic (sterile) technique during clinical care. It is one of the most frequently handled pieces of hospital equipment in operating rooms (ORs), emergency departments (EDs), procedure suites, inpatient wards, outpatient clinics, and ambulatory settings.
Underpad chux are absorbent, fluid-resistant pads placed on beds, stretchers, examination tables, chairs, or other surfaces to help contain urine, stool, blood, irrigation fluids, and other moisture. In many hospitals, “chux” is used as a generic, colloquial term for underpads, but product design and performance vary widely by manufacturer.
A Fenestrated surgical drape is a sterile barrier sheet with a pre-cut opening (the *fenestration*) designed to expose only the intended procedure site while covering surrounding skin, linens, and nearby equipment. It is commonly used in operating rooms (ORs), procedure suites, and bedside sterile procedures to support aseptic technique, organize the working field, and help contain fluids.
Sterile drape is a sterile barrier sheet or cover used to create and maintain a sterile field around a patient, procedural site, or piece of hospital equipment during invasive procedures. In everyday practice, it is one of the most frequently handled infection-prevention medical devices in operating rooms (ORs), interventional suites, emergency departments, and procedure clinics—even though it is often treated like a “basic supply.”
Povidone iodine swabstick is a single-use applicator designed to deliver povidone-iodine solution to skin or mucosal surfaces for antisepsis (reducing the number of microorganisms on a surface). In day-to-day hospital operations, this small piece of hospital equipment plays an outsized role: it supports safe procedures, standardizes prep workflows, and helps reduce contamination risk when used according to local policy and the manufacturer’s Instructions for Use (IFU).
A Chlorhexidine swab is a single-use, pre-packaged swab or pad impregnated with a chlorhexidine-containing antiseptic solution (often chlorhexidine gluconate, abbreviated **CHG**) used to prepare skin before clinical procedures. You will see it in everyday hospital equipment workflows: starting an intravenous (IV) cannula, obtaining blood cultures, preparing skin for injections, inserting a central venous catheter, or supporting other aseptic (“clean and sterile”) techniques.
Alcohol prep pad is a small, single-use medical device (often called an alcohol swab or alcohol wipe) designed to apply alcohol to skin or small surfaces for routine antisepsis. It is one of the most frequently consumed pieces of hospital equipment in daily clinical work—used in injections, venipuncture, point-of-care testing, and device access—yet it is also a common source of preventable process errors (for example, not allowing the alcohol to dry or recontaminating the site).
Antimicrobial hand soap dispenser is a wall-mounted, countertop, or freestanding dispensing unit designed to deliver a controlled amount of antimicrobial soap for handwashing. In many facilities it is treated as hospital equipment (part of the hand hygiene infrastructure), and in some contexts it may be managed like a clinical device because it directly supports infection prevention workflows and patient safety goals.