General Catalogue 2023 DIGITAL

cavitation bubble grinding dust cavitation bubble (imploding) 222 Hygiene for safety and confidence Hygiene represents a new demand on the foot care practice every day. In medical surgeries and in hospitals, there is always a high risk of infection with microorganisms. In foot care, too, there is a danger of transferring infection. Podiatrist and foot care professionals are therefore obligated to take hygienic measures and are subject to state supervision. A clean, bright and friendly furnished practice as well as clean cases for mobile applications is the basis for the trust of clients in your foot care operations. However, the responsibility of the treating person exceeds these outward measures, although they are undeniably significant. The transmission of disease must be safely prevented in every foot care treatment to protect the health of the client and the treating person. Besides hand and skin hygiene, consistent instrument hygiene is mandatory. This comprises sterilisation along with care, cleaning and disinfection – according to whether the instrument in question is an uncritical, semi-critical or critical instrument. However, if cleaned and sterilised instruments are stored inappropriately, there is danger of recontamination with pathogens. Transmission to the next patient can only be excluded by effective and consistent hygiene measures. 1. Cleaning and disinfection The following applies for all instruments: To render pathogens harmless immediately and avoid uncontrolled spread of pathogens, every instrument used must be cleaned and disinfected after a treatment. An ultrasound unit is recommended for cleaning. Ultrasound cleans especially thoroughly – even in places which a brush can never reach. An ultrasound-suitable enzymatic instrument cleaner is used to clean soiled instruments to secure that the further reprocessing process is not negatively affected. The intermediate rinse is followed by the disinfection bath, which is carried out with disinfectant tested and listed by the Association for Applied Hygiene (Verbund für an- gewandte Hygiene = VAH). Here the prescribed dosage and expo- sure time must be observed in order to achieve a positive outcome. Afterwards the instruments are well rinsed under running water and then dried with a tear-proof disposable cloth. After checking and tes- ting the instruments for material and cleaning defects, the joint heads and closing areas should be maintained with instrument oil. 2. Sterilisation Critical instruments must be and semi-critical instruments should be sterilised. Sterilisation renders even resistant pathogens and spores harmless which the disinfection process does not kill. After the cleaning and drying processes, the open instruments are placed into the hot air steriliser or autoclaves (stainless steel instruments). An autoclave sterilises by means of a combination of pressure and steam at temperatures of 120 to 134 °C. Objects made of rubber and plastic (conditionally) or textiles can be autoclaved. Used, corroded, misshapen, porous or otherwise damaged instruments should be immediately sorted out in order to prevent that rust is transferred to healthy metal. Sterilisable boxes or disposable packaging prevents reinfection. The following recommendation applies to hot air sterilisers: Only in this way can adequately high temperatures (180 °C) be guaranteed in each part of the sterilisation chamber. H Y G I E N E During ultrasound treatment, tiny cavities form in the fluid (cavitation bubbles), including between the dirt and the instruments The cavitation bubbles are unstable, collapse (implode) and separate the dirt from the instrument surfaces. Like all instruments, grinding and polishing tools are a potential source of infection. (Photo: uncleaned grinding tool, grinding tool cleaned with ultrasound). Risk evaluation of medical devices for hygienic processing Non-critical instruments • Contact with intact skin – cleaning and disinfection Semi-critical instruments • Contact with mucous membranes or pathologically changed skin – cleaning and disinfection – sterilisation optional Critical instruments • Penetration of skin or mucous membranes, contact with blood – preferably machine cleaning and disinfection (such as thermal disinfector) – steam sterilisation andatory HYGIENE