at least part of the equation. Some say it's worth the added cost to
remove the extra step of drawing up a drug, thus running the risk of
contamination. Moreover, prefilled syringes hold anesthetists account-
able so there is no risk of "double dipping" into a vial, says Dr. Biddle.
If your anesthesia providers want proof of how great the risk of
contamination is at the head of the table, ask them to read
"Microbiological Contamination of Drugs During Their
Administration for Anesthesia in the Operating Room"
(osmag.net/5KRDxd), a study published in Anesthesiology last
year that found that inadvertent lapses in anesthetists' aseptic
technique contributes to surgical site and other post-operative
infections.
3. Unseen residual debris
on reprocessed instruments
When it comes to surgical instrumentation, the challenges of cross-
contamination are magnified by the increasing complexity of surgi-
cal devices, which in turn makes cleaning, inspecting and sterilizing
these instruments that much more problematic, says Weston "Hank"
Balch, BS, MDiv, CRCST, CIS, CHL, the system director of sterile
processing at University Health System in San Antonio, Texas. The
solution: tools that allow for greater magnification during the
inspection stage.
Take flexible endoscopes, for example. With intense focus on leak
testing, flushing and brushing of internal channels, and proper
HLD/low-temp sterilization processing, Mr. Balch says processing
technicians often overlook and under-inspect the distal tip of these
devices. But tools such as handheld lighted magnification devices or
table-top microscopes can ensure reprocessed scopes have no resid-
ual contamination or damage that could harbor future microbes. New
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