3 4 S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E M A Y 2 0 1 7
L
umened instruments are notoriously difficult to clean and can pose
a major patient safety risk if their channels and surfaces aren't
properly flushed and brushed between uses. The alarming truth:
Improperly cleaned instruments can't be disinfected or sterilized,
and mistakes continue to be made during this important first step
in proper instrument reprocessing. (Exhibit A: The recent carbapenem-resistant
Enterobacteriaceae [CRE] outbreaks at several facilities across the country that
Lessons in Lumened
Instrument Cleaning
Follow these tips to ensure reprocessing's critical first
step is performed correctly each and every time.
Donna Swenson, BS, CRCST, CHL, ACE | Stickney, Ill.
• INSIDE JOB The manual
cleaning of flexible endo-
scopes requires the correct
style and size of brush to
remove bioburden from
internal channels.
Mark
Voigt