Endoscope disinfection by ortho-phthalaldehyde in a clinical setting: an evaluation of reprocessing time and costs compared with glutaraldehyde.

摘要: Ortho-phthalaldehyde provides high-level disinfection in 12 minutes at room temperature (20 degrees C). To determine whether the endoscopy unit Massachusetts General Hospital could cost-effectively increase endoscope throughput and decrease delayed procedures while maintaining biocidal efficacy with heavy use, ortho-phthalaldehyde solution (0.55% w/v) was used for place of glutaraldehyde unit's five automatic reprocessors. During this 38-day study, 1,839 endoscopes were processed 1,201 cycles. Each machine ran an average 80 cycles each three consecutive periods. The shorter time (12 minutes) resulted savings 53 hours per study period processors when compared glutaraldehyde's 20-minute time.Ortho-phthalaldehyde costs more gallon than ($31.03 versus $13.20). This higher cost would be offset, however, by additional resulting from fact that glutaraldehyde, is faster-acting a mixing activation step not required. In addition, testing prior to cycle verified despite remained efficacious, lasting through cycles, whereas only lasts 40 Test strips showed concentration reprocessors above minimum effective entire 14-day maximal reuse period. Additional microbiological spent diluted its demonstrated tuberculocidal tests Mycobacterium bovis.