To Help Train Professionals how to Optimise Their Decontamination Processes  

Scientific Digital Imaging’s [AIM-SDI] Synoptics Health Division, a manufacturer of innovative digital imaging systems for healthcare applications, today announced that major international healthcare training centre, Eastwood Park, UK will be using ProReveal, a test to detect proteins on surgical instruments, to complement training of sterile services professionals on how to assess the validity of decontamination processes.

The highly sensitive ProReveal in-situ fluorescence test which can detect nanogram levels of protein will be used on decontamination courses (compliant with EU and UK guidelines), to train several hundred personnel per year from UK and international decontamination validation service providers and sterile services departments (SSDs). On the courses, they will use this technology to optimise their appreciation of cleaning efficacy within decontamination processes by detecting where and how much protein is on surgical instruments post-cleaning.

Bruce Garbutt, Training Consultant at Eastwood Park explained: “Protein decontamination currently represents the ultimate challenge in cleaning efficacy. If your process has removed protein you know your surgical instruments can be made safe to re-use. Pre 1999 we did not fully appreciate that it is possible to infect patients with prion diseases like vCJD if our cleaning processes were not optimal.  More recently we have begun to realise how swab tests to detect protein levels can be flawed, hence the imperative for an ‘in situ’ test such as ProReveal. Since the CFPP 01-01 guidelines published last year highlighted that ‘in situ’ fluorescence detection of proteins is a more sensitive protein detection method, we have been planning for the future by reviewing tests to include in our decontamination courses which could comply with this new guideline.”

Garbutt added: “We were drawn to the ProReveal test because it uses OPA fluorescence detection so is more aligned with current UK and EU guidelines. After testing, we have included ProReveal in our practical demonstrations because there is a visual display of where contamination is, which aids appreciation of how instrument quality and loading configuration may affect the cleaning process. Using ProReveal we believe Authorising Engineers, for example, could be better informed during their evaluation of performance qualification tests to ensure washers are operating at their optimum. For operational staff it has the potential to be a significant advance in improving the routine verification of decontamination of surgical instruments.”

Paul Ellwood, SDI Synoptics Health’s CEO concluded: “Eastwood Park is a very progressive training centre and their adoption of the ProReveal test shows that they are preparing decontamination professionals to comply with new quality standards. Their commitment to helping professionals continuously improve their decontamination processes will ensure professionals will be able to quickly and easily implement the ProReveal technology in their own facilities, to easily meet the upcoming minimum safe residual protein contamination guideline level being set by the Department of Health. This in turn, will improve the cleanliness of reprocessed surgical instruments and more importantly, could reduce the risk of post-operative infection for thousands of patients world-wide.” 

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