Ability of cleaning-disinfecting wipes to remove bacteria from medical device surfaces

Publication date: 1 December 2015
Source:American Journal of Infection Control, Volume 43, Issue 12
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Gonzalez, Poulomi Nandy, Anne D. Lucas, Victoria M. Hitchins
BackgroundNosocomial infections are a serious problem in health care facilities. Bacteria can be transferred from patient to patient via contaminated reusable medical devices and equipment.MethodsAn anesthesia machine and objects representative of smooth and ridged machine knobs were contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus atrophaeus spores, and Clostridium sporogenes spores. The ability of 5 commercially available cleaning-disinfecting wipes to remove bacteria was compared with gauze soaked with water or bleach. Gauze soaked with water was used to determine the optimal wetness for bacteria removal, which was then used to evaluate the efficacy of the wipe ingredients.ResultsAll of the wipes cleaned the device surfaces significantly better than the no wipe control. Some wipes performed equally well as gauze with water, whereas others performed worse. Overall, the wipe containing sodium hypochlorite was the most effective at removing bacteria. When the wipe ingredients were re-evaluated using the determined optimal wipe wetness on gauze, their effectiveness at cleaning S aureus, but not spores, significantly improved.ConclusionPhysically removing bacteria from device surfaces with water was often as effective as the cleaning-disinfecting wipes. Of the wipe active ingredients evaluated, sodium hypochlorite was the most effective overall. The wetness of the wipes may also play a role in their effectiveness.



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