The sterilization efficacy of reprocessed single use diathermy pencils

Authors

  • Simone Batista Neto Universidade de São Paulo; Faculdade de Medicina; Instituto de Ortopedia e Traumatologia
  • Kazuko Uchikawa Graziano Universidade de São Paulo; Escola de Enfermagem
  • Maria Clara Padoveze Universidade de São Paulo; Escola de Enfermagem
  • Júlia Yaeko Kawagoe Hospital Albert Einstein

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692010000100013

Keywords:

Equipment Reuse, Equipment and Supplies^i1^sMicrobiol, Sterilization^i1^sMeth

Abstract

In Brazil, single use diathermy pencils (SUDP) are among the most common reused devices. This study assesses the sterilization efficacy of reprocessing SUDP using two cleansing methods (manual or automated), followed by one of three of the low-temperature sterilization methods: Hydrogen Peroxide Plasma (HPP), Ethylene Oxide (ETO) or Low-Temperature Steam Formaldehyde (LTSF). The sample was composed of 360 SUDP after their first use. The probability of sterilization failure was estimated considering the number of positive microbiological results obtained by cultures of the studied devices. The overall sterilization failure probability for SUDP was 0.26. The sterilization method, which presented the lowest failure probability was the LTSF (0.01), followed by ETO (0.21) and HPP (0.56). Automated cleansing obtained a better result than manual cleansing. This trial demonstrated that the probability of sterilization in reprocessed SUDP is highly dependent on both the type of cleansing and the sterilization method applied.

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Published

2010-02-01

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 1 (2010)

Section

Original Articles

License

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Including names of authors whose contribution does not fit into the above criteria cannot be justified. Those names can be included in the Acknowledgements section.
 Authors are fully responsible for the concepts disseminated in their manuscripts, which do not necessarily reflect the editors’ and editorial board’s opinion.

 

How to Cite

The sterilization efficacy of reprocessed single use diathermy pencils . (2010). Revista Latino-Americana De Enfermagem, 18(1), 81-86. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692010000100013