Infection
control is extremely important in today’s
healthcare, industrial, and tattoo &
body piercing facilities.
INFECTION
RISKS ARE INCREASING:
World
wide, the number of infections such as
hepatitis, herpes, HIV, etc are constantly
increasing. Your patients and staff are at
risk daily if your sterilizer isn’t
sterilizing! Most sterilization failures
occur due to operator error, overloading the
sterilizer; air release nozzle may even
cause a blockage and cause a “cool spot”
in the sterilization chamber. You must be
assured that you are taking every precaution
to protect your clients and staff.
RISK
OF INFECTION:
-
Direct
site infections from accidental punctures
with non-sterile instruments.
-
Contact
with infections from direct exposure to
the mouth, blood or saliva of clients.
-
The
spread of infections through cross
contamination from hands, instruments and
other commonly used items in your
facility.
HANDLING
AND INSPECTION:
All
personnel handling sterilization procedures
should be trained to minimize the handling
of sterile items.
Sterilized
items should not be touched while cooling.
All
packaged items should be visually inspected
for tears or wetness. Integrators are
recommended (as well as indicators) for
every sterilization cycle. Dropped items
should be returned to the decontamination
area for reprocessing.
Remove
items wearing sterile gloves and use a
sterile surface when placing sterilized
loads in a closed or covered area.
Sterile
items should not be stored under sinks, or
near windows, doors, and high traffic areas.
Items should be visually inspected for
integrity and labeling prior to being used.
QUALITY
CONTROL:
For each
sterilization cycle, the following
information should be recorded and
documented:
-
lot
number and content of load
-
exposure
time and temperature
-
operator
name or initials
-
report
failed indicator or integrator results
-
as
per CDC, biological spore testing
is recommended for sterility assurance.
-
keep
all sterilization records and use your
sterilizer according to the manufactures
recommendations.
INFECTION
CONTROL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CONCERN OF
YOUR FACILITY.
ATS , Inc. offers infection control
supplies, autoclave log books for record
keeping and more.
If you have
further questions regarding infection
control, contact one of our specialists
today:
For free
samples of spore testing or accreditation
standards call today, (877) ATS-1199 or fax
request to: (516) 295-8626. |
