M A Y 2 0 1 6 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 4 7
insoluble molecules and
break them down into
smaller, more water-soluble
compounds that are easier
to clean and rinse away.
• Lipase enzymes break down
fatty deposits and lipids. Though
the fat and oil molecules
they attack aren't as large
as proteins, they tend to be
insoluble in water. Lipase can make these molecules more water-soluble for bet-
ter removal.
• Amylase enzymes catalyze starches. While they are less common in enzymatic deter-
gents used on surgical instruments, they can be found in agents marketed for
"heavy duty" cleaning.
Besides the type of enzymes used, there are a few other things to look for in
your detergent that can help streamline the process. For example, our pre-wash
soak solution has a 2-minute soak time, which is relatively short compared with
some others on the market. It can also work in any temperature of water, which
eliminates techs having to check and log the temperature during each wash. If
you want to take it a step further, there are also automated sink-filling systems
on the market that let techs simply push a button to fill the sink with the correct
concentration of detergent and the correct volume and temperature of water.
3. Meticulous manual cleaning
After the initial soak, we manually scrub some of our trickier-to-clean instru-
ments, such as those with lumens. Smaller facilities may rely purely on this step
to clean instruments, though we use an automatic washer to more efficiently
remove bioburden (more on that later).
• ELBOW GREASE Refer to instruments' instructions for use to determine the size and type
of cleaning brushes you need.
