Étude de l'influence des étapes de pré-traitement sur la corrosion des instruments de chirurgie

: No sooner had the cleaning and packaging facilities been organized in a single centralized unit at Nantes University Hospital, than the corrosion incidents of surgical instruments were reported. With the help of Ishikawa's diagram it was possible to identify two possible sources of the problem - the raw materials (quality of water, decontamination products), the materials used (new automatic cleaning, disinfecting and drying units) or the methods (time of decontamination bath, decontamination stage). Aim: Our purpose is to experimentally ascertain the influence the decontamination has upon the corrosion. Methods: For the precise assessment of the influence the time of decontamination and the decontamination stage has upon the corrosion, different tests have been performed. Results: All the decontamination solutions have caused corrosion similar to the one. The time of the decontamination bath and the time the instruments stay wet after rinsing and before drying have proved to be the crucial corrosion. The drying after the decontamination allows to avoid corrosion. Leaving instruments in the decontamination solution does not prevent it. Discussion-Conclusion: The principal goal of the corrective measures is to reduce the time the instrument are left in water or in a decontamination solution in order to prevent corrosion.