Validating the Cleaning Process of Cardiac Catheters

Reprocessing single-use devices includes the key steps of ensuring that the devices such as catheters are clean, without organic matter, reducing the microbial load, pyrogens and biofilm. Researchers describe their project in which they developed and validated a cleaning protocol for objects from a cardiology sector in a hospital in Ponta Grossa, Parana, Brazil.

A quantitative and experimental study was undertaken in February and March 2011 with a sample of 72 cardiac catheters. A protocol for cleaning tools and training with the nursing staff has been developed, using as a method to detect organic matter in the lumen, the Hemocheck, a tool that can detect from 0 ug to 100 ug.

In the beginning, the researchers observed that the catheters were flushing with one (1.38%) of the catheters having 100 ug of matter in the lumen, five (6.94%) having 10 ug of dust, three (4.16% ) of the catheters showed 1 ug, while 11 (15.27%) showed 0.1 ug of organic matter and 52 (72.22%) with 0 g of dirt in the lumen; after 45 days conducting a systematic way of cleaning and tests in random days and times, there was not positivity of dirt in the catheter compared to results found previously.

The researchers concluded that the hospital's infection control service and materials cent er will need to implement the protocol.

Reference: Gaspar M, Silva CLD, Bastos CRB, Nascimento JSD and Maia VRD.Validation of cleaning process of cardiac catheters and reuse in the hemodynamics sector of a hospital in Ponta Grossa, Parana, Brazil. Presentation at International Conference on Prevention & Infection Control (ICPIC). BMC Proceedings 2011, 5(Suppl 6):P214doi:10.1186/1753-6561-5-S6-P214