title: Cleaning assessment of disinfectant cleaning wipes on an external surface of a medical device contaminated with artificial blood or Streptococcus pneumoniae.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Improperly cleaned, disinfected, or sterilized reusable medical devices are a critical cause of health care-associated infections. More effective studies are required to address the improvement of cleaning and disinfection instructions, as well as selection of cleaning and disinfecting agents, for surfaces of reusable devices and equipment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six commercially available disinfectant cleaning wipes were evaluated for their effectiveness to remove a coagulated blood test soil or Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria from the surface of a reusable medical device. Liquid aliquots of the coagulated blood or bacteria were dried onto the surface of the device and removed with the wipes. Effectiveness of the wipes was assessed by 3 methods: residual protein debris by o-phthaldialdehyde analysis, bacterial survival by adenosine triphosphate measurement, and force required to remove the dried debris by force measurement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A sodium hypochlorite wipe was most effective in removing protein debris from the device surface. All tested wipes were equivalent in disinfecting bacterial contamination from the device surface.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The active ingredient, wipe design, and wipe wetness are important factors to consider when selecting a disinfectant cleaning wipe. Additionally, achieving conditions that effectively clean, disinfect, and/or inactivate surface bacterial contamination is critical to preventing the spread of health care-associated infections.
authors: Division of Biology, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD.
authors: Kathryn M
authors: KM
authors: Gold
authors: Victoria M
authors: VM
authors: Hitchins
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria; D058491:Bacterial Load; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D001802:Blood Substitutes; D003666:Decontamination / Q000379:methods*; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods*; D004864:Equipment and Supplies / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D001802:Blood Substitutes
keywords: Disinfection; Infection control; Medical equipment; Reprocessing