Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Miele Professional Nederland, Vianen, The Netherlands.
J Hosp Infect. 2017 Dec;97(4):357-362. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2017.08.008. Epub 2017 Aug 12.
Standards require a daily steam penetration test before starting production with a steam sterilizer. In many cases the results of steam penetration tests are not used for improvements or optimization of processes. This study aimed to detect whether trend analysis with an objective and quantifying steam penetration test has added value for the end-user. The databases of an objective quantifying steam penetration test, from the hospital and the manufacturer, are coupled and analysed. In this study, the databases included five steam sterilizers and approximately a four-year period. Based on the analysis, the process of the sterilizers was optimized. The results of the steam penetration tests became more stable over longer periods. This may result in lengthened periods between maintenance and validation. The analysis demonstrates that an objective, quantifying steam penetration test delivers more insights and knowledge of the functioning of the steam sterilization process. This knowledge may be used to optimize the process and reduce costs for the end-user.
标准要求在使用蒸汽灭菌器开始生产之前进行每日蒸汽穿透测试。在许多情况下，蒸汽穿透测试的结果并未用于改进或优化工艺。本研究旨在检测对于最终用户而言，使用客观且量化的蒸汽穿透测试进行趋势分析是否具有附加价值。从医院和制造商处获取客观量化蒸汽穿透测试的数据库并对其进行耦合和分析。在这项研究中，数据库包含五台蒸汽灭菌器和大约四年的时间跨度。基于分析结果，对灭菌器的过程进行了优化。蒸汽穿透测试的结果在更长的时间段内变得更加稳定。这可能导致维护和验证之间的间隔时间延长。分析表明，客观、量化的蒸汽穿透测试提供了更多关于蒸汽灭菌过程运行情况的见解和知识。这些知识可用于优化过程并降低最终用户的成本。
