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M AY 2 0 1 4 | S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
A set of guidelines on chemical sterilization and high-level disinfection in
healthcare facilities, published by the American National Standards Institute and
Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation and revised last
year also defines the options and selection criteria. According to ANSI-AAMI's
ST-58 guidelines (
tinyurl.com/p5nnqnv)
, ascertaining and evaluating a medical
device's proper method of reprocessing should be a part of its trialing and pur-
chasing process.
Compliance and caution
It's critical to make sure that each method is conducted correctly and operated
effectively. A large part of this is incumbent upon central sterile technicians fol-
lowing the rules and monitoring the process for compliance. Instruments must be
thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated in order to be effectively sterilized, for
instance. For gaseous methods, instruments must be wrapped or packaged in
accordance with the sterilizer's directions. The chamber must be loaded properly,
and not overloaded.
Use a biological indicator at least once a day to determine if the sterilization
method is effective. Many mechanical sterilization devices also have fail-safe
tests built in. For example, instrument packages processed in hydrogen perox-
ide gas plasma systems must be dry. If moisture is detected during the cycle, it
will abort.
Lastly, reprocessing techs must be competent not only in the proper use of
sterilization equipment and products, but also in the safe handling of their
potential hazards. Manufacturers' safety data sheets provide recommended
practices for avoiding skin and respiratory contact with their volatile chemicals,
for monitoring the air for toxic fumes and for developing contingency plans to
prepare staff for cleaning up a spill or responding to a leak.
OSM
Ms. Klacik (
sklacik@yahoo.com
) is the manager of central
sterile services at St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown, Ohio.
R E P R O C E S S I N G
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