Earlier I posted the following inquiry to the list serve. My thanks to
those that responded. I summarize the relevant portions of the responses
below because at least one respondent wanted to learn the results.
VA policy prohibits and endorsement of commercial products or services,
real or implied. In an abundance of caution (I really don’t want to spend
an indeterminate amount of months or years dealing with an inquiry about
the matter.) I have obscured the names of two products and not included one
response that was identified as an excerpt from a commercially available
guide.
Below is the original question followed by the responses.
When devices are removed from the fitting room and taken to the lab area
for modification or repair, what precautions are taken to sanitize the
device and/or any surfaces or objects in the lab that it may come into
contact with?
What do you do in your service regarding this issue? Do you have any
written policy/procedure statements dealing with it?
Please note that the question raised above is quite distinct from any
issues involving the treatment of surfaces and objects in the fitting
room or the storage of soiled devices physically segregated from clean,
unused stock.
In the interest of full disclosure (as they say on TV), I am Supervisor of
the O&P Service of the VA Medical Center,
Responses:
1. 1. I’m an orthotics resident, and at my facility I have never even
been informed that this is a concern, and our practice does nothing to
control cross contamination in the lab at all. If there’s a particularly
gross device we might work on it over the garbage, but that’s about it.
Please let me know what your results are for this post.
2. 2. I cannot remember if SIU had written policies for soiled P&O
but there were policies for Blood Born Pathogens, and we used the same
technique for MRSA patient’s devices and the tools used on them. At OPACI
we had several pump spray, “green” disinfectants that the staff used when
the practitioners brought the P&O back to the lab. At both places the
clinicians were not supposed to lay the items down but hand it directly to
the tech and forewarn them what the conditions were.
3. 3. In answer to your questions, I haven’t done anything about any
of those issues, except sometimes open the windows and plug my nose.
4. 4. As an ABC surveyor, I have been writing a recommended protocol
for just this question.
I suggest the use of M******e because of it’s shelf life . Also, a lot of
DME companies are using it on their returned items.
Have a work station with a hard non porous surface.
Spray down the device with of M******e allow to stay wet for 10 minutes
then wipe with disposable paper towels. (also wipe down work station area )
After this procedure, devices can worked on without cross contaminating the
equipment.
At end of day, spray down the work station, allow to stand 10 minutes,
then wipe down
5. 5. Absolutely nothing, same as for prostheses.
6. 6. Most rock gyms use the same spray in their rental shoes between
customers. One wears no socks in a climbing shoe and the strategy is
to wear as tight a shoe as possible – one that will cause blisters at
first – you’ll callous up. But this spray disinfects so well that even
in these potentially fertile grounds for bacterial infection there is
seldom if ever a case of shoe transmitted disease. The spray is called
E*****L manufactured by T******m Laboratories. Kills everything from
AIDS to herpes , even a tuberculocidal. It can be used on an intimate
fitting shoe and immediately be reused without any skin reaction –
even if contacted to open sores.. Hope this helps in keeping your
world clean!
—
Charles H Pritham CPO
