5 Benefits To Using Enzymatic Cleaners For Reusable Medical Devices
Enzymatic cleansers for reusable devices, medical device cleaning validations, and surgical instrument cleaning are all the rage. Below are five reasons why enzyme-based cleaners (enzymatic cleansers) have risen in popularity and why they should not be overlooked for fast cleaning processes.
#1: Enzymatic cleaning processes save time
Enzymes are catalysts for chemical reactions. In other words, enzymes speed up chemical reactions. In cleaning, this means that the use of enzymes shortens the time cleaning processes take. Indeed, enzymatic detergents can speed up chemical reactions up to 1,000,000 times and decrease cleaning contact time by ten to fifteen times compared to detergents with the same surfactants and ingredients. Thus, you could reduce cleaning contact time up to one-tenth of one-fifteenth of the original time by using enzymatic cleaners!
#2: Enzymatic cleaning processes save money
After bulk tissue is removed, health care workers can add medical instruments to sonication baths with enzymatic cleaners. Thus, health care professionals can clean instrumentation without additional manual labor or expensive cleaning equipment.
#3: Enzymatic cleaners are easy to use adaptable to multiple types of materials & cleaning
Enzymatic cleaners can be used on all types of materials, including (but not limited to) plastics, metals, glass, and composite materials. Enzymes work best at specific temperatures and pH levels. However, though enzymes will function best at peak temperature and pH values, enzymes still perform at high levels outside of their perfect peak interval. Note that water quality and the enzyme’s concentration in use also impact the overall functionality of enzymes during cleaning processes.
#4: Enzymatic cleaners improve cleaning efficacy
Improved cleaning efficacy results in additional debris, fat, protein, and DNA residues removed from the instrumentation. Greater cleaning efficacy leads to enhanced patient safety and clinical outcomes. Indeed, the cleaner the instrumentation is of microscopic residues, the lower the risk of patient infection or allergy when the instruments are used during invasive procedures.
#5: Enzymatic cleaning process improve the useful life of surgical instrumentation
Enzymatic cleaning processes eliminate or reduce the need for caustic detergent chemicals and neutralizers. Thus, surgical instrumentation undergoes slower wear and tear during cleaning, which extends the life of the instruments.
Summary
Overall, enzymes are the unsung hero of reusable medical device cleaning processes. There are numerous benefits to using enzymes for medical instrumentation cleaning. First, enzymatic cleaning processes save time and money. Additionally, enzymatic cleaners are easy to use and adaptable to multiple material types and cleaning processes.
Furthermore, the use of enzymatic cleaners for reusable medical devices improves cleaning efficacy and improves the useful life of surgical instrumentation. Consider developing enzymatic cleaning processes for your instructions for care for your medical devices or cleaning process at your health care facility.
MycoScience is a contract manufacturing organization specializing in sterile syringe and vial filling. MycoScience also offers Preservative Efficacy Testing, Sterilization Validations, Bioburden Testing, Cleaning Validations, Microbial Aerosol Challenge Testing, Accelerated Aging, Microbiology Testing, Cytotoxicity Testing, Bacterial Endotoxin Testing, EO Residual Testing, Package Integrity Testing & Environmental Monitoring services medical devices and allied industries. MycoScience is an ISO 13485 certified facility.
References
Case Medical Inc. Cleaning with Multi-Enzymatic Instrument Chemistries for Medical Device Reprocessing. Performance Improvement Measures (PIM) Sustainability Raldmap for Hospitals.
