EFHSS Questions and Answers - Question Q00671

I am want to know, is there any standard of using triple enzymes detergent in Automatic washer disinfector. And when the instruments in the washer disinfector, what should be our priority - Deep cleaning or Disinfection.

Munish

I can answer one of your questions. The washer-disinfector should perform both cleaning and disinfection although these will be separate stages of the cycle. Cleaning should be performed to an extent that a cleaning test will be passed. This may be a visible soil test or a chemical protein residual test. The disinfection stage should be such that all instruments reach a specified time/temperature combination. The third stage is drying the load.

There should not be a priority for these stages as all are required for the process to be a success. However, cleaning is an essential pre-requisite for sterilization and, in some special cases, is the only part of the decontamination process that can attack/remove certain types of contamination

Best wishes - Peter Hooper

Munish

In the Benelux we do not see a lot of enzymatic cleaners in washer desinfector.
Most of the machines work with (mild)alkaline cleaners and neutralizing agents
On top of that the thermal desinfection
A new trend is the Oxivario cycle (H202) as an extra step in the cleaning phase

see www.ecolab.com
I can send you some extra info on instrument cleaning/desinfection
just send me a mail

regards

marc corthals

Dear Munish

A reprocessing cycle for medical devices in automatic washer-disinfectors starts with a cold pre-wash with water followed by a main wash with cleaner.
This cleaner can have enzymes, but three different enzymes like Proteases, Lipases and Amylases are not necessary for surgical instrument reprocessing. A cleaner with Proteases is sufficient.
After the main wash the program continues with an intermediate rinse and finally with the last rinse, which is also the thermal disinfection. This means that the final rinse-water is heated up to thermal disinfection temperatures, e.g. 90 °C for 5 minutes.
A suitable rinse aid can be dosed to the final rinse water to improve the drying.
The whole program washing cycle is a decontamination process which means a combined cleaning and disinfection, but first the instruments are cleaned in the main wash and the cleaned instruments are thermal disinfected by hot water during the final rinse.

Kindest regards
Juergen Staffeldt

As the saying goes if it isn't clean you can't sterilise it.

Triple enzymatic cleaners perform very well in washer disinfectors. However the enzymatic you choose for your washer disinfector has to meet the following criteria

• Has a no foam formula
• Works in a broad range of temperatures
• Is fast acting

For more info please feel free to e mail me.