Ophthalmic viscoelastic devices as a cleaning challenge.

Common practice when validating the cleaning of medical devices is to employ clinically relevant test soils as a challenge to the cleaning process. During use, medical devices may come into contact with a variety of materials that are difficult to clean. One example of this is the use of ophthalmic viscoelastic devices (OVDs) in cataract surgery. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a procedure for cleaning the lumens of a phacoemulsification handpiece using two different OVDs as test soils. The results of this study demonstrate that effective cleaning of the aspiration and irrigation lumens of a phacoemulsification handpiece may be achieved if the manufacturer's recommended cleaning procedures are followed.