Surgical instruments (OP)
Surgical instruments should be stored
for as short a time as possible before
machine processing.
The OXIVARIO or ORTHOVARIO
processes should be used for
instruments where there is a long delay
between the time they are used and the
time they can be reprocessed. See
"Special processes" at the end of this
booklet.
Disinfection of surgical instruments and
of those used for minimally invasive
surgery should preferably take place
thermally.
Fully demineralised water should be
used for the final rinse when possible to
ensure no marks are left on the load
and to avoid corrosion. If the water
used contains more than 100 mg
chloride/litre there is danger of
corrosion.
OP-containers can be disinfected
thermally in the CONTAINER
programme, or chemically. If anodised
aluminium containers are used the final
rinse must be carried out with fully
demineralised water. These containers
must not be processed with an alkaline
cleaning agent in a 93 °C programme
with 10 minutes holding time
(according to § 18 IfSG).
Mobile units for surgical instruments
and containers are supplied with
their own operating instructions.
When cleaning narrow lumen
instruments e.g. those used for
minimally invasive surgery,an
intensive internal cleaning result is
imperative. The Vario-TD and
OXIVARIO programmes are the only
ones which offer a thorough enough
level of cleaning for this. It is essential
that instruments are loaded as directed
and that the cleaning agent used is
suitable for the programme and for the
sensitive instruments being processed.
The final rinse must be carried out
using fully demineralised water with a
conductivity level of ~15 ZS/cm
(microsiemens per centimeter).
Instruments with very narrow lumen
must be manually pre-rinsed where
necessary. Follow the instrument
manufacturer's instructions on how
to handle them.
Areas of application
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