Two per cent glutaraldehyde: a disinfectant in arthroscopy and arthroscopic surgery.

Arthroscopes and some instruments for arthroscopic surgery were prepared for use by soaking them for fifteen minutes in a cold solution of 2 per cent glutaraldehyde. This method was practical, economical, safe, and effective. Over a eight-year period we performed 12,505 arthroscopic procedures with an infection rate of 0.04 per cent. Although technically classified as a disinfectant, 2 per cent glutaraldehyde used under these conditions proved to be an effective method of preparing arthroscopic surgical instruments and was less damaging to these instruments than methods involving sterilization by steam.