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M. Ravey*, M. Farny, V. Dauphin, B. Demore
In sterilization departments, manual washing of medical devices is not regulated by any standard. The control of the preparation of the instruments detergent bath is essentially linked to the quality of the water and detergent distribution system.
However, conformity is only presumed. No parametric control is carried out. The use of the conductivity as a control tool of detergent bath is relevant. A standard detergent (Excel D®) and a prionicide (Alka 100®) were studied.
The correlations found for detergents are excellent (R²>0.9). Conductivity target values for each detergent allow to conclude about the conformity of the detergent bath. A mix-up of the detergents can be detected at an early stage, thanks to the differences in conductivity between the two detergents. Also, this control allows an early detection of a failure of a dosing system. However, routine use requires specific training of the staff.
Read the full article in issue no. 3 of Zentralsterilization
