Discoloration and Residues in Washer Disinfections - Borer Chemical Solutions
The Challenge
- Discoloration of washer chamber and accessories
- Discoloration of instrumentation
- Failed results on daily soil testing
- Residues detected with haemoglobin and protein tests
- Visual Damage to instruments – Rusting and pitting
- Increased maintenance costs.
Our evaluation of Symptoms
The quality of water used for instrument processing at this particular site was outside the recommended guidelines presenting a number of issues.
Water fulfils a variety of functions in the treatment process, including:
- Dissolves cleaners and other treatment agents
- Transmission of mechanical forces and transfer of heat to the surface of the items to be washed
- Dissolves soluble dirt and impurities
- Flushes away cleaning and treatment solutions
- Thermal disinfection in machine processing
- Is used for steam sterilization.
Unfavourable water composition can have an adverse effect both on the treatment process and on the appearance of the instruments and materials. This is why water quality in sufficient quantity is already important when planning on-site plumbing installations.
While any natural water contains dissolved salts, concentrations vary depending on the source of the water and how it is collected. Depending on water hardness and temperature, the fresh water used can lead to the formation of a hard layer (lime deposits, scale) that is difficult to dissolve. It is even possible for corrosion to occur underneath such deposits.
The Solution
The customer required a solution which eliminated the formation of a hard layer (lime deposits, scale) in the washer, damage to instruments and risk to patients. In Vitro Technologies carried out testing of water and identified the mix of materials to determine the compatibility requirements. Based on these results we trialled PROZYME ALKA which is a non-aggressive special cleaning agent based on a sophisticated combination of enzymes and surfactants for the mechanical treatment of instruments and utensils in Washer Disinfectors. PROZYME ALKA efficiently removes a wide range of organic contaminants such as blood, tissue residue, mucous, and biofilms from medical instruments made of a wide range of materials. In addition to its cleaning strength and versatility of use, PROZYME ALKA has various other properties:
- very good material compatibility
- biofilm removal
- low foaming
- compatible with hard water
- no neutralisation required
- biodegradable.
The Outcome
Using PROZYME ALKA we eliminated the formation of a hard layer (lime deposits, scale) in the washer, damage to instruments, and risk to patients. Additionally, we reduced the number of chemicals in the department and provided a significant cost saving to the hospital.
- Eliminated discoloration of washer chamber and accessories
- Eliminated discoloration of instrumentation
- All Soil testing passed daily
- Eliminated haemoglobin and protein residues
- Reduced Cycle Times by 20%
- Reduced the number of chemicals in the department - neutralisation not required after wash phase
- Reduced overall costs with chemicals, labour and utilities.
