Study: Manual, automated cleaning equally effective for laparoscopes

Editor's Note

In this experimental laboratory study, all cleaning and rinsing methods tested were effective in reducing the levels of organic residues on laparoscopic instruments.

Four methods were examined:

• manual-only cleaning and rinsing with potable tap water
• manual cleaning and rinsing with potable tap water, followed by ultrasonic cleaning without rinsing
• manual cleaning and rinsing with potable tap water, followed by ultrasonic cleaning and rinsing with potable tap water
• manual cleaning and rinsing with potable tap water, followed by ultrasonic cleaning and rinsing, first with potable tap water and then with sterile distilled water.

None of the cleaning methods resulted in statistically significant differences in the levels of the organic residues tested (ie, protein, hemoglobin, and carbohydrates).

No advantage is gained by supplementing manual-only cleaning with automated ultrasonic cleaning of laparoscopic instruments or by rinsing with potable versus sterile distilled water, the researchers concluded.

Manual and Automated Cleaning Are Equally Effective for the Removal of Organic Contaminants From Laparoscopic Instruments - Volume 39 Issue 1 - Tamara Carolina de Camargo, Alda Graciele Claudio dos Santos Almeida, Camila Quartim de Moraes Bruna, Caroline Lopes Ciofi-Silva, Flávia Morais Gomes Pinto, Kazuko Uchikawa Graziano

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