Advanced technology has been launched by Synoptics Health in Cambridge to help hospitals improve the cleanliness of their surgical instruments.
The UK healthcare company’s next-generation ProReveal technology incorporates advanced process validation analytics software for detecting and analysing the amount of residual proteins on surgical instruments post-decontamination.
Determining the effectiveness of the decontamination process is vital to boosting the cleanliness of surgical instruments.
The ProReveal Test quickly detects microgram levels of residual protein on reprocessed surgical instruments, combines a touch-screen ProReveal Viewer with new analytics software module and ProReveal fluorescence-based Protein Test Kit.
The new software accurately analyses images and quantitative data generated by the ProReveal Viewer to determine where and how much protein remains on surgical instruments.
Process criteria such as washing machine, tray number and position, detergent, operator and programme details can all be monitored to provide an overview of how effectively the decontamination processes are performing over time.
The addition of the powerful analytics software means the new ProReveal is now capable of being a precise diagnostic tool, allowing Authorising Engineers Decontamination (AEDs) in hospitals to validate and standardise every stage of their disinfection processes or manufacturers of decontamination equipment and detergents to optimise their products for maximum protein removal.
Removal of protein from surgical instruments is important, not just because its presence is linked with causing hospital acquired infections, but because instruments where the majority of the protein has been removed are considered to be safe for re-use
Paul Ellwood, chief executive of Synoptics Health, said: “Removal of protein from surgical instruments is important, not just because its presence is linked with causing hospital acquired infections, but because instruments where the majority of the protein has been removed are considered to be safe for re-use.
“Our new ProReveal Test uses very sensitive fluorescence technology and unlike existing tests used in hospitals will tell you exactly how much protein is on your surgical instrument, where it is, and now how successful all aspects of your decontamination process are.
“This is a totally different approach from current testing and is a significant breakthough because, for the first time, hospitals can accurately standardise and validate the decontamination process.
This is a totally different approach from current testing and is a significant breakthough because, for the first time, hospitals can accurately standardise and validate the decontamination process
“Where this exciting technology is adopted by forward-thinking AEDs in hospitals as a cleaning validation diagnostic, the new ProReveal will contribute to helping SSD staff provide safe, compliant reprocessed surgical instruments, thus reducing the numbers of post-surgical infections contracted via dirty instruments.”
