Standardized cleaning recommendation for medical devices and equipment

In general cleaning of medical devices is the process to remove anything extra from actual product which were produce by manufacturer to let it back to actual original condition, it could be like to eliminating of external things that could be soil, dust and other organic materials form the object to reform it towards its original or normal condition which could be done by with the use of water, enzymes and detergents.

1. Importance of Cleaning

In medical devices industry cleaning process is mandatory which includes top level of disinfection of devices and sterilization as many natural and unnatural materials remains on the external or internal body of devices and equipment which could be extremely danger if can’t clean as per the standard before further used.

2. Difficulties in cleaning

If devices and equipment get rusted and become in contact with the soil and water in other words on surface has dirt due no proper cleaning that become very difficult process to disinfect and sterilize it because at that level all process become useless and has no appropriate results, surgical products should need to proper absorbed and clean before drying before anything dry on it surface or need to put them in to detergent water which not allow anything dry on surface after each use.

3. Different ways of cleaning

Cleaning process could be done manually or with the machines its totally based on condition an requirement of device and place, in most of areas machines cant use or no need to use for small equipment mostly which used during operations and minor surgeries where as for some fragile item also need to clean manually with rubbing and brushing with the help of detergents where as some hard material need to remove from many automatic machines with proper disinfection.

4. Handling of Bacterial solution

Most of the manual and automatic cleaning only do cleaning with the help of different acids and detergents but here is only cleaning of surfaces these both process has no guarantee or claim removal of bacteria, because cleaning other process and removal of bacteria from the surfaces are another process cleaning or bacteria requires enzymes process with heating and cooling process some time radioactive light need to apply for proper results.

5. Clinical trial for testing of disinfection

This is a fact that even in current era of the technology we still don’t have any way or clinical trial which confirm us with full trust that any particular device and equipment properly clean and disinfected only several process applied for mentally satisfactions but no technology can verify its properly cleaned or not only some of the tests possible which can address cleaning at very nominal level not for hundred percent or even sixty percent, so appearance and clean feeling is only way to accept it for now.

6. Categorization of disinfection items

Experts and professionals from medical devices industry defines classification for the disinfection items to health care sector according to them three are major categories

7. Serious Items

Number one serious items which are under high infection risk if it contains any micro level of organism which cause spread of virus or disease, in this category they included surgical instruments which used in urinary, cardiac and transplantation.

8. Semiserious items

This category not directly comes in contact with the patients’ body or skin normally this category made due to external interaction like anesthesia and therapy equipment, some of external scoping, rings and other ways which only requires nominal level of cleaning process.

9. None Serious items

The category which defines third stage it includes whose things which are in contact of skin but not in contact with inside body, but it important to break transmission of infection and diseases against microorganism transfers but sometime this category shifted in to critical items according to patient conditions this includes bed, sheets, pillow, blood pressure machines, room table, furniture, AC ducts and other things.

10. Major Issues in Disinfection and sterilization

As disinfection and sterilization process is mandatory for all health care sector but here is limitation we have no proper way to check either its fully crystal clear or from all things or not, human being is facing new diseases almost on daily basis its could be minor or major but its intensity to catch instruments and devices surface is uncheckable even after applying physical, chemical and environmental techniques we are still in dark and unconfident how much that microorganism move and survive.

11. Limitation in Reuse of Devices

Now a days reuse of medical devices process become more critical because many professionals still not sure about either devices could be transmit diseases even after cleaning or not so this become an unconfirm matter in term of legal, ethical and economical issue after the covid19 virus world become blur because this virus transmitting with in any medium at other hand cost and expenditures also a big challenge if all devices will use only one time for the one patient this is still a big question for health care industry.

12. Final Focus

Being a human on this planet for the survival of mankind cleaning is mandatory where diseases attacking on daily basis if we not focus on health care sector for disinfection and sterilization in proper way we have to face huge loss in term of reduction in human population, we all know that we cant control what we don’t know but at least by following procedures what we know can reduce infection rates and transmitting of different viruses around the globe.

13. Guide line form Manufactures

Most of the surgical equipment manufactures understands the responsibility of creating awareness regarding disinfection, cleaning and sterilization of their devices, so mostly of them provides guide line to users how to use, reuse it with maximum cautions on the basis of best available knowledge.

Health care manufacturing sector now not only focusing on technological variation for their instruments and devices but they are well aware with the challenges associated with cleaning process to make sure secure reusage of devices against dangerous viruses like covid19.