Don't Procrastinate or your Proteins Will Coagulate Flashcards
What is involved in the decontamination and sterilization process
sufficient means of transportation of instruments (both clean and contaminated)
an automated reproducible process for cleaning and disinfection
thorough inspection
support the process with the use of other pieces of equipment
all our instruments must be processed through a sterilizer
What is the processing cycle/life cycle
- storage
- use
- transport (transport container)
- cleaning (ultra sonic and washer disinfection)
- disinfection (washer disinfector)
- inspection (illuminated magnifier)
What are factors that can impact the process
time temperature chemicals water energy
How does time effect the decontamination cycle
any blood or biological matter can start to dry in and adhere to the surface of the instrument
best course of action is to have the shortest amount of time between use and processing
What is the sinner circle
it is the 4 key elements that are required for successful cleaning
energy, chemicals, temperature, time
How is water a key factor
tap water cannot be used for sterilisers
a mixture of hot and cold water can be used for ultra sonic and manual cleaning
the washer disinfector can have cold and maybe hot connections as well
What are things that the impact conductivity of water (also referred to as total dissolved solids)
water picks up particulates
minerals, silicates, organics, metals
What are minerals that can be found in the tap water
calcium and potassium
What are the silicates that can be found in tap water
sand, glass, rock
What are the organics seen in tap water
vegetation, colloidal particle
What metals are seen in tap water
iron, zinc, tin, mercury
What is pure water
refer to distilled, de-ionised, reverse osmosis and sterile
used for sterilization process
What are detergents that can be used
high and low alkaline detergent
enzymatic detergent
ph neutral detergent
What are high and low alkaline detergent for
enclosed processes
not for skin contact
What are enzymatic detergents for
breaking down protein into smaller particles
generally used in the ultrasonic but can be used for manually washing
What are the ph neutral detergents for
less harmful to skin
used for manual washing as high chance of skin contact
How do detergents work
the chemical molecule within detergents is designed to have hydrophilic and hydrophobic ends
one end repels water and the other is attracted to it
the hydrophobic end never contacts water because of the repulsion
this is where the contamination is drawn to and then flushed away as the hydrophilic end attaches to water molecules
How does detergents impact validation
the chemicals we use must be validated against the cycle and if we change the chemical then the cycle must be re-validated
cycle times are established based on cleaning efficacy of the chemical during the validation or periodic testing of the machine
manufacturers instructions should be followed for dosing volume and operating temperature of chosen detergent
What does energy refer to
force used for cleaning and contact
What are examples of energy in cleaning
scrubbing with a brush
in the ultrasonic bath the force comes from high frequency sound waves causing cavitation
the washer disinfector uses high pressure water jet or spray
The force in WD is less, how do we supplement this
use stronger chemicals such as high alkaline as its an enclosed process so the operator doesn’t have to come in contact with
What are temperate influenced by
chemicals being used
for primary stages it must be below 35 degrees (during the flush stage, manual washing or in the ultrasonic)
Why are temperatures different for the disinfection and sterilization stages
the temperature and times have already been established and must be achieved
What are the temperature and times for thermal disinfection
90-95 degrees
1 minute minimum
