Evaluation of the cleaning and disinfectionefficacy of the DEKO-190; a ward-basedautomated washer/disinfector

The DEKO-190 Washer–Disinfector combines both automatic washing and thermal disinfection functions and is designed for the decontamination of ward utensils (such as bedpans and urine bottles) and instruments used in minor surgery prior to sterilization. We undertook a microbiological evaluation of t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Journal of hospital infection Vol. 46; no. 1; pp. 50 - 54
Main Authors Dempsey, K.M, Chiew, R.F, McKenzie, J.A, Mitchell, D.H
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2000
Subjects
Disinfection
equipment reuse
sterilization
equipment reuse
Disinfection
sterilization
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Summary:The DEKO-190 Washer–Disinfector combines both automatic washing and thermal disinfection functions and is designed for the decontamination of ward utensils (such as bedpans and urine bottles) and instruments used in minor surgery prior to sterilization. We undertook a microbiological evaluation of the disinfection efficacy of the machine, using its short wash plus disinfection programme and sealed suspensions of test organisms placed at various points within the instrument. Suspensions ofEnterococcus faecalis and Poliovirus were totally inactivated, the counts of aerobic organisms within a stool specimen being reduced by a factor of 104whilst spores of Clostridium perfringens were unaffected. The cleaning efficacy of the DEKO-190 was also evaluated under clinical conditions by visual inspection and was found to be satisfactory. Ward-based combined washer–disinfection machines, such as the DEKO-190, have the potential to improve the efficacy of cleaning protocols within healthcare institutions.
ISSN:0195-6701
1532-2939
DOI:10.1053/jhin.1999.0719