REPROCESSING OF ANESTHETIC AND VENTILATORY EQUIPMENT

Uniform and standardized recommendations for reprocessing of anaesthet ic and ventilatory equipment are still lacking. The uncertainty in thi s field is underscored by the various methods which are described in t he literature which include pasteurization, immersion baths, formaldeh yde cabinets, automated washers/disinfectors and sterilization procedu res like autoclaving, ethylene oxide and gaseous formaldehyde. Based o n the classification of anaesthetic and ventilatory equipment as semi- critical items, high level disinfection must be regarded as the approp riate decontamination procedure. In contrast to automated washers the other above-mentioned disinfection procedures lack an integrated and a ll inclusive reprocessing cycle which consists of cleaning, disinfecti on, rinsing and drying. In view of the increasing demands of employee safety, environmental suitability, cost-effectiveness and quality assu rance in hospital hygiene, only automated washers/disinfectors-either based on hot water disinfection or chemothermic processing-fulfil the basic requirements for safe and standardized reprocessing of anaesthet ic and ventilatory equipment.