Infection control: the role of disinfection and sterilization

Many articles that document infections after improper decontamination of pa tient-care items have emphasized the necessity for appropriate disinfection and sterilization procedures. This paper provides recommendations on the p referred method for disinfection and sterilization of patient-care items ba sed on the intended use of the item (i.e., critical, semicritical, noncriti cal). The chemical disinfectants recommended for patient-care items and ins truments include glutaraldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, sodium hypochlorite, alcohol, iodophors, phenolics, and quaternary ammonium compou nds. The choice of disinfectant, concentration, and exposure time is based on the risk of infection associated with the use of the item. The steriliza tion methods briefly discussed include steam sterilization, ethylene oxide, new low-temperature sterilization technologies and dry heat. When properly used, these disinfection and sterilization processes can ensure the safe u se of invasive and noninvasive medical devices. However, this requires stri ct adherence to current cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization guideline s. (C) 1999 The Hospital Infection Society.