Environmental hygiene and viruses from surfaces.9 The antimicrobial
effectiveness of alcohol is through damage to bacterial cell membranes and subsequent denaturation of cellular proteins. Alcohols are effective against microorganisms associated with the skin, as well as pathogens like Escherichia coli, together with M. tuberculosis. They allow efficient wetting of the surface with a rapid antimicrobial effect and therefore short contact times.9 However, depending on the concentration of alcohol in the wipe, (over 70%) it may damage sensitive surfaces over time, particularly if it contains a high concentration of ethanol.10
offer good cleaning properties but have a low efficacy against gram-negative bacteria and non-enveloped viruses. Also, studies show that the absorption of QACs onto the wipe fabric could lead to disinfection failure.2
Quats tend
to be excessively wet and require additional active ingredients such as PHMB to achieve efficacy. The excessive moisture may lead to damage of rubber and plastic surfaces, as well as causing degradation or rusting of metals. Quats take longer to dry than alcohols, meaning an additional drying step may be required. They also tend to leave surface residues and smears. As alcohol based disinfectants tend to kill more microorganisms than quats and are
more rapid acting9 a low alcohol product may Quats
be a better choice when a material friendly disinfectant is required on sensitive high value equipment such as touch screens and tablets. So long as the disinfectant has been tested and certified to meet EN14476 standards for virucidal efficacy and EN13727 for bactericidal efficacy, a low alcohol product will be effective.10 When selecting a disinfectant wipe for use in a healthcare setting, it should have a wide antimicrobial spectrum, be fast acting, keep surfaces wet for the minimum time to achieve efficacy and be compatible with common healthcare surfaces and equipment.5
A wipe
such as the recently introduced mikrozid universal wipes green line, could be a good option. They have been designed with a low alcohol formulation and added surfactants for effective cleaning, but also have material friendly credentials, so can be used on sensitive, high-value equipment.
MHRA and ‘damage to sensitive surfaces’ The MHRA and Health Facilities Scotland have received incident reports relating to detergent and disinfectant wipes causing damage to sensitive surfaces and devices like patient monitors. They subsequently issued guidance
advising that disinfectants may damage medical devices, if they are not compatible with the surface material. The MHRA also warned that failure to follow the device manufacturer’s decontamination instructions may be considered off-label use.
Decontamination must be carried out with
a product compatible with manufacturer’s recommendations, at the correct concentration. The use of inappropriate chemicals to clean and disinfect medical devices may result in the premature failure of the device, which could impact on patient care as well as on clinical and financial governance. Damaged surfaces may compromise the ability to decontaminate medical devices adequately, which could impact on the function of the device.11
Equipment damage: the evidence Research already discussed highlights that environmental surfaces serve as a route for the transmission of pathogens. However, sensitive surfaces and equipment may be permanently damaged by common disinfectants used in healthcare environments.12 A case study from the US13
describes the CSJ_qtr_page_OCT_2023 14/09/2023 13:59 Page 2
$4million cost of using an incompatible surface disinfectant. A large hospital purchased several
quality
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www.swann-morton.com December 2023 I
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