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Safety
First:
There
is a considerable risk for Veterinarians during reprocessing of instruments.
Special care must be taken to ensure personal safety.
•
Only fully trained personnel must perform these procedures.
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Protective clothing, gloves and eyewear must be worn at the time.
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Sharp instruments must be handled separately in baskets or cassettes.
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Manufacturers' user instructions and guidelines must be followed closely.
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If in doubt, please ask and GRACEY will
offer help as much as possible.
This Instrument
Care Guide has been designed to offer general explanation of most
situations. Local regulations or hospital protocols may differ from these
suggestions, for which GRACEY will
not be held responsible.
1:
Rinsing
Immediately
after use, remove organic materials by rinsing instruments under warm (not hot)
running water. Rinse should remove most body fluids and tissues. Do not process
dissimilar metals (Stainless, Copper, Chrome Plated etc.) together.
2:
Disinfecting
To
protect medical staff from contamination, immerse instruments completely in an
approved disinfectant before cleaning. Use an approved
disinfectant as per manufacturer's guidelines, then rinse again.
Caution:
Never
expose Stainless Steel instruments to bleach or other corrosive chemicals i.e.
Sodium Hypochlorite, Chlorine based disinfectants etc. Exposure to these
chemical agents can cause discoloration and pitting.
Do not
soak for extended periods i.e. overnight. Never disinfect aluminum
instruments in high alkaline solutions (PH>10)
3:
Cleaning
All
blood, dried body fluids and tissue should be completely removed from the
instruments prior to sterilization. Several methods are available.
Regardless
of cleaning methods used, soak instruments first in a solution of water and
neutral pH (7) detergent. Soaking softens the organic matter stuck on the
instruments and makes cleaning easy. Instruments should be fully submerged for
at least 10minutes. Rinse Instruments under running tap water to remove
solutions.
3.1:
Ultrasonic Cleaning
GRACEY
recommends ultrasonic cleaning as the most effective way of cleaning
instruments, particularly those with hinges, locks and other moving parts.
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Instruments must be fully submerged.
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Change solution as often as manufacturers recommendation.
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Do not over-clean maximum time of 10 minutes is recommended.
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Avoid over-crowding of instruments.
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Handle sharps (scissors, knives, chisels etc.) separately.
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Use a lid to avoid splashing.
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Keep joints open and ratchets unlocked.
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Place heavier instruments at the bottom of the basket.
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Cleaning of aluminum items by ultrasonic is not recommended.
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Rinse instruments with water to remove cleaning solution.
3.3:
Manual Cleaning
If
ultrasonic or automatic washer/disinfectors are not available, manual cleaning
is advised. This should be performed in a basin or sink dedicated for
instruments cleaning only. Please observe the following steps:
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Scrub thoroughly until soil has been removed.
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Pay particular attention to serrations, knurling, hinges, ratchets and tubes.
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Clean delicate instruments separately to avoid damage.
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Always brush away from the body and avoid splashing.
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Use stiff nylon autoclavable cleaning brushes.
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Do not use steel wool or steel wire brushes except those made of stainless
steel.
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Use only CE Marked detergents with neutral pH (7).
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Rinse thoroughly making sure surfaces are visibly free of stains or
tissues.
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Repeat cleaning process if necessary.
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A good peracetic acid based instrument cleaner can help remove stains.
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After cleaning, sort and dry instruments using hand dryer or drying cabinet.
Note:
Manual cleaning is not a disinfection process.
6:
Storage
Instruments
must be completely dry at the time of storage. Likewise, storage area must be
absolutely dry. Wet climate and damp conditions can lead to corrosion. Even
innocuous liquids like seawater have a devastating effect on stainless steel.