An efficacy evaluation of a synergized glutaraldehyde-phenate solution in disinfecting respiratory therapy equipment contaminated during patient use.

Reusable, corrugated, expiratory limb ventilator tubing that had been in use for 24 hours, were randomly allocated to one of three groups: no treatment (N = 36); detergent wash (N = 83); or a detergent wash followed by a 10 minute immersion in a 1:16 dilution of synergized glutaraldehyde-phenate solution which was reused for 30 days. (Between 10 and 22 tubes were tested in each five day interval during this 30-day period.) Tubes were quantitatively and qualitatively cultured. There were significant differences in both the percent of contaminated tubes (no treatment = 92%, detergent wash = 72%, glutaraldehyde-phenate = 0 to 20%) and numbers of microorganisms per tube (no treatment = 3.2 x 10(6), detergent wash = 1.3 x 10(4), glutaraldehyde-phenate = 0 to 182) between groups. There was no apparent decrease in glutaraldehyde-phenate's efficacy throughout the 30-day reuse period, and in the final five days of the reuse period it was completely effective.