Validation of cleaning evaluation of surgical instruments with RFID tags attached based on cleaning appraisal judgment guidelines.

In medical institutions, the threat of infection is closely focused, in particular, inspections regarding surgical site infections (SSI) are carried out. In this study, development of the application of Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags for surgical instrument has been promoted. It enables traceability and individual management of surgical instruments. An experiment was carried out following the cleaning Appraisal guidelines, which contaminated surgical instruments, and using the washer-disinfector (WD) as the main cleaner for surgical instruments with developed RFID tags attached to them. As a result, all of the instruments with RFID tags, the amount of residual protein was less than the recommended acceptable level of 100µg. If WD is used correctly, a sufficient cleaning effect can be expected. From this result, it became evident that the secondary infection risk is low from surgical instrument with RFID tags attached.