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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 | M AY 2 0 1 4
So, protect
your invest-
ment. Unless
the blade is
actually being
handed to a
surgeon, the
guard that cov-
ers the tip
should be up,
so the blade is
never unnecessarily exposed. To clean diamond blades, use spe-
cially designed pads available from several manufacturers. They
work by having the blade cut through 3 gel-like materials in
sequence. The first contains a cleaning solution, the second and
third purified water. A few passes through the pads should remove
any debris before the blade is sterilized.
We use diamond blades exclusively, but the reposable gem blades
several companies now offer are intriguing. That compromise
between long-lasting diamond blades and single-use blades may turn
out to be cost-effective, though the jury is still out. Again, proper care
might make the difference: If careful maintenance can extend the life
of reposable blades to 50-plus cases, that could save money.
3. Wash separately. People don't always realize that if you
have some instruments that are made out of stainless steel and some
that are made out of titanium, for example, you can't wash them
together. Different materials require different procedures. Be sure to
follow manufacturers' instructions. Instruments need to be cleaned by
hand and put delicately in an ultrasound basket. You can't just toss
O P H T H A L M O L O G Y
NO TOUCHING Arrange instruments for reprocessing so
tips never come into contact with each other.
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