Greenwood J, Green N, Power G
Department of Anaesthetics, Southern Medical School University of Queensland, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.
Anaesth Intensive Care. 2006 Jun;34(3):343-6. doi: 10.1177/0310057X0603400312.
The Laryngeal Mask Airway is a reusable device for maintaining the patency of a patient's airway during general anaesthesia. The device can be reused after it has been cleaned and sterilized. Protein contamination of medical instruments is a concern and has been found to occur despite standard sterilization techniques. The reason for the concern relates to the possibility of the transmission of prions and the risk of developing a neurodegenerative disorder such as Creutzveldt-Jacob disease. The purpose of this study was to quantify the amount of protein contamination that occurs, and to relate this to the number of times the Laryngeal Mask Airway has been used. Fifty previously used Classic Laryngeal Masks were collected after routine sterilization and packaging. The devices were immersed in protein detecting stain and then visual inspection performed to assess the degree and distribution of the staining. The researcher was blinded to the number of times the Laryngeal Mask Airway had been used. Linear regression analysis of the degrees of staining of the airway revealed that protein contamination occurs after the first use of the device and this increases with each subsequent use. This finding highlights the concern that the currently used cleaning and sterilization methods do not prevent the accumulation of proteinaceous material on Laryngeal Mask Airways. Consideration should be given to the search for more efficient cleaning and sterilization techniques or the use of disposable devices.
喉罩气道是一种可重复使用的装置，用于在全身麻醉期间维持患者气道通畅。该装置在清洁和消毒后可重复使用。医疗器械的蛋白质污染是一个令人担忧的问题，并且已发现尽管采用了标准的消毒技术，这种污染仍会发生。产生这种担忧的原因与朊病毒传播的可能性以及患上诸如克雅氏病等神经退行性疾病的风险有关。本研究的目的是量化发生的蛋白质污染量，并将其与喉罩气道的使用次数相关联。在常规消毒和包装后收集了五十个先前使用过的经典喉罩。将这些装置浸入蛋白质检测染色剂中，然后进行目视检查以评估染色的程度和分布。研究人员对喉罩气道的使用次数不知情。对气道染色程度的线性回归分析表明，该装置首次使用后就会发生蛋白质污染，并且随着后续每次使用污染都会增加。这一发现凸显了人们对当前使用的清洁和消毒方法无法防止蛋白质物质在喉罩气道上积聚的担忧。应考虑寻找更有效的清洁和消毒技术或使用一次性装置。
