Sterilized Hospital Equipment
Sterilized Hospital Equipment are essential components of hospital infection control activities. Various surgical procedures are performed in a number of hospitals every day. An even greater number of procedures are implemented in different healthcare facilities. The medical device or surgical instrument that comes into contact with the sterile tissue or mucous membrane of the patient during various procedures can increase the risk of pathogens entering the patient’s body. Sterilization and sterilized hospital equipment are important in this situation.
Sterilizing Process and Infection Relationship
Also, from patient to patient, patient or healthcare provider and vice versa [eg, hepatitis B virus (HBV)]; or there is a chance of infection from the environment to the patient through improperly sterilized or disinfected devices; A number of outbreaks and infections have been reported in the hospital setting due to improperly sterilized devices. Many infections have been reported worldwide due to the use of contaminated endoscopes. Sterilization and Sterilized Hospital Equipment are important in this situation.
Therefore, proper decontamination techniques Medical and surgical devices are needed in all healthcare facilities. Healthcare providers are equally responsible for sterilizing and eliminating such infections. Each hospital should have its own guidelines on sterilizing and disinfecting supplies based on the intended use of medical devices and associated infections. Sterilization and Sterilized Hospital Equipment are important in this situation. Currently, there is an increase in the frequency of emerging and multidrug-resistant pathogens in all health centers where only a few / if any treatments are available. Therefore, medical personnel, laboratory workers, and healthcare providers must have better knowledge of these techniques to prevent the spread of these pathogens. There is no uniform definition or standard for sterilization, disinfection and cleaning. However, the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute has now defined recommendations based on some minimum inhibitory concentration test standardized by the International Organization for Standardization.
Sterilization in Health Facilities
Sterilization, disinfection and cleaning in healthcare facilities includes the sterilization and disinfection of environmental surfaces without cleaning / cleaning and reprocessing medical equipment. The former mainly includes areas such as surfaces, floors, and high contact surfaces (sinks, telephones, switchboards, bed rails, cars, etc.). It has been observed that the regular sterilization of all these cleaning surfaces significantly reduces the transmission of infection. The sterilization and disinfection of medical equipment depends on their physical structure, the character of the material from which it is made, the lumen size, etc. depends. Thorough cleaning is preferred prior to the use of disinfectants, as the sterilization process effectively removes most germs from the equipment. Personnel, sterilization process, procedure, physical and chemical structure of instruments, nature of disinfectants, etc. The subjects should be properly trained and trained. The concentration of the detergent or disinfectant should be maintained properly as specified in the literature. Too low concentration may not work effectively to remove organic materials or microorganisms. The pH of the disinfectant must be obtained according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Sensitive products should be handled at neutral pH.
Enzymes such as proteases can be added to the solution to speed up the effectiveness of the sterilization process. To prevent damage to the items, neutral pH enzymatic cleaners are preferred. For example, in the case of the flexible endoscope, neutral pH detergent with an enzymatic effect is preferred. A new non-enzyme product [hydrogen peroxide-based, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved] has been found very effective as a cleaning agent for sterilization.
Sterilize Process Control
It is extremely important to make sure that each step of the Sterilization Process applications in hospitals is done correctly. It is important to control each step according to the Sterilized Process method chosen. The most precise control method of the Sterilization Process is to take microbiological samples from sterilized materials and liquids and to perform growth controls on the media; however, these procedures are time consuming and impractical. Physical, chemical and biological tests should be used as proof of effective sterilization process instead of sterility control.
Physical Control Methods
In the tools used; There are indicators showing the temperature level, pressure, time and humidity. Loops can be saved and printed. They give information about the conditions of the sterilization chamber. Since the devices lose their sensitivity over time, they need to be calibrated continuously. Chemical Control Methods Each package put into the sterilizer; Strips with indicators that change color with heat, water vapor contact, gas (ETO) contact are applied by gluing or placing them inside. However, these indicator strips are valuable only for showing that the package is placed in the sterilizer. It does not prove that effective sterilization process has taken place. Chemical test results are not perceived as an indicator of microbiological sterility. Biological Control Methods Sterilization process is the killing of microorganisms (including spores) in the target environment.