Environment,safety & PPE
This type of air pressure must be maintained in the decontamination area
to prevent airborne contaminants from escaping into clean processing area
what is negative air pressure
This type of water is typically used for initial flushing and coarse rinsing of
soiled surgical instruments.
What is utility water?
To prevent generating contaminated aerosols, manual brushing of surgical
instruments must always be performed in this manner.
What is completely submerged under the water surface?
The microscopic implosion of sound-wave bubbles that pulls soil from
hard-to-reach instrument crevices in ultrasonic cleaners is called this.
What is cavitation?
A complex matrix of microorganisms that adheres tightly to instrument
surfaces and resists cleaning and disinfection is called this.
What is a biofilm?
This is the minimum number of air exchanges per hour required in the decontamination area.
what is 10 air exchanges per hour
Water that has been deionized or treated by reverse osmosis is categorized as this type of high-purity water.
what is critical water
This type of material should be used for brush bristles when cleaning standard surgical instruments (unless prohibited by IFU).
What is Nylon?
Before processing instruments in a freshly filled ultrasonic tank, this crucial preparation step must be completed to remove dissolved air.
What is degassing?
Biofilms begin forming on moist, untreated instrument surfaces within this time frame.
what is minutes to hours?
The temperature in the decontamination area should be maintained within
this specific temperature range.
what is 60-65 degrees
Critical water must be used during this specific rinsing phase of instrument
cleaning to prevent mineral spotting and pyrogen deposits.
what is final rinse?
Abrasive pads, wire brushes, and metal sponges should never be used on
stainless steel instruments because they damage this protective surface layer.
What is the passive (chromium oxide) layer?
Stainless steel and aluminum instruments should not be processed together in the same ultrasonic bath to prevent this type of chemical-electrical corrosion.
What is galvanic corrosion?
Visual inspection of cleaned instruments should always be conducted
under this type of light/magnification tool.
What is a lighted magnifying lens (or task magnifier)?
To prevent splash injuries from aerosolized pathogens, this piece of PPE must be worn if safety glasses alone are used without a full-face mask.
what is a full face shield
Water temperature used with enzymatic detergents should not exceed this threshold to prevent coagulating proteins onto instruments.
what is 140 degrees f
Cannulated instruments containing these hollow channels require specialized brushing and flushing protocols.
What are lumens?
The physical spray impact force of water against instrument surfaces
inside mechanical washers is known as this term.
What is impingement?
Cleaning verification tests that detect adenosine triphosphate are commonly abbreviated as this 3-letter acronym test.
What is an ATP test?
These specialized, heavy-duty gloves must be worn during
decontamination tasks instead of standard thin examination gloves.
what are heavy-duty utility gloves?
This specific enzyme in multi-enzymatic cleaners breaks down protein-
based soils like blood and tissue.
What is protease?
When selecting a cleaning brush for a lumen, the brush diameter must
match the lumen's inner diameter, and the brush length must be this.
What is longer than the lumen itself (so it exits the far end)?
In an automated washer-disinfector, high-temperature water
provides this level of microbial reduction without achieving sterilization.
What is thermal disinfection?
If a surgical instrument fails visual inspection or a cleaning verification test, this action must be taken immediately.
What is re-cleaning (re-processing the item through decontamination)?