The Challenge
The quality of water used for instrument processing at this particular site was outside the recommended guidelines presenting a number of issues.
Water fulfils a variety of functions in the treatment process, including:
Unfavourable water composition can have an adverse effect both on the treatment process and on the appearance of the instruments and materials. This is why water quality in sufficient quantity is already important when planning on-site plumbing installations.
While any natural water contains dissolved salts, concentrations vary depending on the source of the water and how it is collected. Depending on water hardness and temperature, the fresh water used can lead to the formation of a hard layer (lime deposits, scale) that is difficult to dissolve. It is even possible for corrosion to occur underneath such deposits.
The customer required a solution which eliminated the formation of a hard layer (lime deposits, scale) in the washer, damage to instruments and risk to patients. In Vitro Technologies carried out testing of water and identified the mix of materials to determine the compatibility requirements. Based on these results we trialled PROZYME ALKA which is a non-aggressive special cleaning agent based on a sophisticated combination of enzymes and surfactants for the mechanical treatment of instruments and utensils in Washer Disinfectors. PROZYME ALKA efficiently removes a wide range of organic contaminants such as blood, tissue residue, mucous, and biofilms from medical instruments made of a wide range of materials. In addition to its cleaning strength and versatility of use, PROZYME ALKA has various other properties:
Using PROZYME ALKA we eliminated the formation of a hard layer (lime deposits, scale) in the washer, damage to instruments, and risk to patients. Additionally, we reduced the number of chemicals in the department and provided a significant cost saving to the hospital.