Judgement Day: The Machines Have Taken Over

Question 1

what are the stages that the washer-disinfector goes through when sterilising instruments?

Answer 1

• flush/prewash
• main wash
• rinse
• thermal disinfection
• drying

Question 2

what occurs during the flush/prewash stage?

Answer 2

saturates the contamination and removes gross contamination

Question 3

what occurs during the main wash stage within a washer-disinfector?

Answer 3

supplemented by detergent to more effectively remove biological matter

Question 4

what occurs during the rinse stage within a washer-disinfector?

Answer 4

removes any remaining residue, biological or chemical before disinfection

Question 5

what occurs during the thermal disinfection stage within a washer-disinfector?

Answer 5

actively kills microorganisms with the use of heated water

Question 6

what occurs during the drying stage within a washer-disinfector?

Answer 6

uses hot air to remove any remaining moisture from the surface of instruments

Question 7

what temperature should the water be during the flush/prewash stage?

Answer 7

<35 degrees

Question 8

what temperature should the water be during the rinse stage?

Answer 8

< 65 degrees

Question 9

what temperature should the water be during the thermal disinfection stage?

Answer 9

90-95 degrees for a minium of 1 minute

Question 10

what temperature should the water be during the drying stage?

Answer 10

generally 100 degrees

Question 11

what are the daily checks for the washer-disinfector equipment?

Answer 11

• sprays arms should spin freely
• spray jets not blocked
• no debris on the strainer/filter
• check condition of the door seal & wipe and clean if necessary