[Rules of decontamination and disinfection of medicosurgical instruments in the operating room].

Nosocomial infections may result from the reuse of surgical devices if adequate disinfection or sterilization measures are not employed. The first step of reprocessing occurs immediately after use in the operating room. This consists of cleaning and decontamination to eliminate organic material and to reduce the number of microorganisms, in order to protect personnel who subsequently manipulate these instruments and to facilitate the ultimate process of sterilization or disinfection. Instruments that cannot be sterilized must be submitted to "high level disinfection" to remove undesirable microorganisms. In order to guarantee the desired results of disinfection, it is very important to adopt reliable and effective protocols, chemical products with good germicidal properties and with minimal adverse effects on the personnel and the environment. The personnel involved in this delicate and important task must be thoroughly trained. If the above conditions are met, the infectious risk associated with reuse of surgical devices can be controlled.