Dr Weigert UK Ltd, European manufacturer of decontamination products issued a stark warning for the medical and laboratory fields this month, as it highlights the significant cost and health and safety implications of un-resolved material changes arising during any instrument decontamination cycle.
Standon, Staffordshire, January 17, 2012 — Based on evidence sourced from Dr Weigert’s technical support division, the number one reason the decontamination cycle can be compromised is material change going un-resolved. Yet the company cites material change as a common problem that can be addressed quickly and efficiently with the correct technical support.
Publishing a brochure titled ‘Safe Re-Processing of Medical Devices’ on its website – www.drweigert.com – Dr Weigert UK Ltd details the requirements for the cleaning and disinfection of medical devices in line with strict European guidelines. The requirements are precisely specified for the decontamination and prevention of material change of a range of devices including: surgical instruments, anaesthetic equipment, hollowware, utensils, glassware and thermolabile endoscopes.
Commenting on the findings and the online publication, Alan Abbatt, General Manager from Dr Weigert UK Ltd said: “Dealing with many companies across Europe, we tend to see the same problems arising during the decontamination cycle. We wanted to try and raise the issues to help establish a higher standard for material protection.
Surface changes happen but the true problem manifests if it is not resolved quickly and properly. We recommend that professional technical support and expertise should be utilised early on in the process to determine the reason, offer systematic examinations and provide practical recommendations in order to prevent costly re-occurrence.”
As part of its standard technical support offering, Dr Weigert UK Ltd undertakes on site checks following any material change notification, and looks at the preparation processes, the dosages of process chemicals used or tests to identify coatings on instruments or machines. However, if the problem can not be identified and/or resolved at this initial stage, further investigations at its professional analytical laboratory take place to offer exact solutions to the problem and practical suggestions to perfect the decontamination process.
Alan Abbatt continues: “Customers in the medical and laboratory fields should not be overtly worried about material change during this process but simply be aware of the pitfalls in dealing with it. Having technical support that can not only deal with a problem quickly but offer ongoing recommendations regarding water quality, optimum washer disinfector programmes, the use of process chemicals and general practice recommendations for instrument decontamination is a necessity. All this is a ‘health check’ for your process that should be seen as the norm, not the exception, in reaching superior levels of material protection in the instrument decontamination cycle process”.
For more product or services information from Dr Weigert UK Ltd log onto www.drweigert.com or telephone: 01543 404633
Image – contamination on a medical device shown via electron microscopy.
For further PR Information contact: Katherine Bourne or Philippa Bevan, Accelerate Associates, Standon Old Hall, Standon,
Staffordshire, ST21 6RB, T: 01782 791199, E: [email protected]
Delays in Resolving Material Changes Cost Industry
Contact:
Philippa Bevan
Partner
Accelerate Associates
Standon, Staffordshire ST21 6RB
01782 791199
[email protected]
http://www.accelerate-associates.co.uk
