Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Compounding Disaster - July 2016 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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J U L Y 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 6 9 Beating Back Bacterial Biofilms Tips to prevent the growth of the slimy coating that lets bacteria survive and thrive. Donna Swenson, BS, CRCST, CHL | Stickney, Ill. • HIDDEN MENACE Could biofilm — a slimy microscopic coating that harbors bacteria — be hiding in your lumened instruments? Pamela Bevelhymer, RN, BSN B iofilms are a reprocessor's nightmare. Resilient, relentless and often microscopic, these slimy, sticky coatings that bacteria excrete can form in minutes on moist surfaces and in lumened instruments. Once they form, good luck removing them. Biofilms can be up to 1,000 times more resistant to antimicrobial agents than the standard bacteria you're used to fighting. But there are steps you can take to prevent biofilm from forming.

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