Disinfection, sterilization and antisepsis: An overview.


Journal

American journal of infection control
ISSN: 1527-3296
Titre abrégé: Am J Infect Control
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 8004854

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
11 2023
Historique:
received: 23 12 2022
accepted: 05 01 2023
medline: 30 10 2023
pubmed: 28 10 2023
entrez: 27 10 2023
Statut: ppublish

Résumé

Each year in the United States there are approximately 100,000,000 outpatient/inpatient surgical procedures. Each of these procedures involves contact by a medical device or surgical instrument with a patient's sterile tissue and/or mucous membrane. A major risk of all such procedures is the introduction of infection. We searched published literature for articles on the use and effectiveness of disinfectants, sterilization methods and antiseptics. The level of disinfection is dependent on the intended use of the object: critical (items that contact sterile tissue such as surgical instruments), semicritical (items that contact mucous membrane such as endoscopes), and noncritical (devices that contact only intact skin such as stethoscopes) items require sterilization, high-level disinfection and low-level disinfection, respectively. Cleaning must always precede high-level disinfection and sterilization. Antiseptics are essential to infection prevention as part of a hand hygiene program as well as other uses such as surgical hand antisepsis and pre-operative patient skin preparation. When properly used, disinfection and sterilization can ensure the safe use of invasive and non-invasive medical devices. Cleaning should always precede high-level disinfection and sterilization. Strict adherence to current disinfection and sterilization guidelines is essential to prevent patient infections and exposures to infectious agents.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND
Each year in the United States there are approximately 100,000,000 outpatient/inpatient surgical procedures. Each of these procedures involves contact by a medical device or surgical instrument with a patient's sterile tissue and/or mucous membrane. A major risk of all such procedures is the introduction of infection.
METHODS
We searched published literature for articles on the use and effectiveness of disinfectants, sterilization methods and antiseptics.
RESULTS
The level of disinfection is dependent on the intended use of the object: critical (items that contact sterile tissue such as surgical instruments), semicritical (items that contact mucous membrane such as endoscopes), and noncritical (devices that contact only intact skin such as stethoscopes) items require sterilization, high-level disinfection and low-level disinfection, respectively. Cleaning must always precede high-level disinfection and sterilization. Antiseptics are essential to infection prevention as part of a hand hygiene program as well as other uses such as surgical hand antisepsis and pre-operative patient skin preparation.
CONCLUSIONS
When properly used, disinfection and sterilization can ensure the safe use of invasive and non-invasive medical devices. Cleaning should always precede high-level disinfection and sterilization. Strict adherence to current disinfection and sterilization guidelines is essential to prevent patient infections and exposures to infectious agents.

Identifiants

pubmed: 37890951
pii: S0196-6553(23)00005-6
doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2023.01.001
pii:
doi:

Substances chimiques

Disinfectants 0
Anti-Infective Agents, Local 0

Types de publication

Journal Article Review Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

A3-A12

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2023 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Auteurs

William A Rutala (WA)

Statewide Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC; Division of Infectious Diseases, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC. Electronic address: brutala@med.unc.edu.

John M Boyce (JM)

J.M. Boyce Consulting, Boyce Consulting, LLC, Middletown, CT.

David J Weber (DJ)

Statewide Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC; Division of Infectious Diseases, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC; Infection Prevention, University of North Carolina Medical Center, Chapel Hill, NC.

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Classifications MeSH