Hostname: page-component-6bf8c574d5-n2sc8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-03-08T01:33:38.834Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Does blood on “dirty” instruments interfere with the effectiveness of sterilization technologies?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2021

William A. Rutala ,
Maria F. Gergen  and
David J. Weber
William A. Rutala*
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Maria F. Gergen
Affiliation:
Department of Hospital Epidemiology, University of North Carolina Medical Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
David J. Weber
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina Department of Hospital Epidemiology, University of North Carolina Medical Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
*
Author for correspondence: William A. Rutala, E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We evaluated the robustness of sterilization technologies when spores and bacteria were placed on “dirty” instruments and overlaid with blood. The results illustrate that steam sterilization is the most effective sterilization technology with the largest margin of safety, followed by ethylene oxide and hydrogen peroxide gas plasma.

Type
Concise Communication
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 43 , Issue 9 , September 2022 , pp. 1262 - 1264
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

PREVIOUS PRESENTATION. Part of these data were presented as an abstract at the Sixth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections, March 2020, held virtually (abstract published in ICHE 2020;41 suppl 1).

References

Rutala, WA, Weber, DJ and HICPAC. Guideline for disinfection and sterilization in healthcare facilities, 2008. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/pdf/guidelines/disinfection-guidelines-H.pdf. Published 2008. Accessed January 2021.Google Scholar
Alfa, MJ, DeGagne, P, Olson, N, Puchalski, T. Comparison of ion plasma, vaporized hydrogen peroxide, and 100% ethylene oxide sterilizers to the 12/88 ethlyene oxide gas sterilizer. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1996;17:92–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rutala, WA, Gergen, MF, Weber, DJ. Impact of an oil-based lubricant on the effectiveness of the sterilization processes. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2008;29:69–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rutala, WA, Gergen, MF, Sickbert-Bennett, EE, Weber, DJ. Comparative evaluation of the microbicidal activity of low-temperature sterilization technologies to steam sterilization. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2020;41:391–395.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Diab-Elschahawi, M, Blacky, A, Bachhofner, N, Koller, W. Challenging the Sterrad 100 NX sterilizer with different carrier materials and wrappings under experimental “clean” and “dirty” conditions. Am J Infect Control 2010;38:806–810.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alfred, M, Catchpole, K, Huffer, E, Fredendall, L, Taaffe, KM. Work systems analysis of sterile processing: decontamination. BMJ Qual Saf 2020;29:320–328.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rutala, WA, Kanamori, H, Sickbert-Bennett, EE, Weber, DJ. Reprocessing endoscopes: are we going to ensure “the needs of the patient come first” by shifting from disinfection to sterilization? Am J Infect Control 2019;47:A62–A66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alfa, MJ, Fatima, I, Olson, N. Validation of adenosine triphosphate to audit manual cleaning of flexible endoscope channels. Am J Infect Control 2013;41:245–248.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reprocessing medical devices in healthcare settings: validation methods and labeling. Food and Drug Administration website. https://www.fda.gov/media/80265/download. Published March 17, 2015. Accessed January 2021.Google Scholar
Richter, SG. Reusable medical device disinfection and cleaning validation requirements. Infection Control Today website. https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/reusable-medical-device-disinfection-and-cleaning-validation-requirements. Published May 10, 2011. Accessed January 2021.Google Scholar