Synoptics Health, a division of Scientific Digitlal Imaging, based in Cambridge, UK, says that healthcare training centre Eastwood Park, UK will be using ProReveal, the firm’s test to detect proteins on surgical instruments, to complement training of sterile services professionals on how to assess the validity of decontamination processes.
The highly sensitive ProReveal in-situ fluorescence test, which can detect nanogramme levels of protein, will be used on decontamination courses (compliant with EU and UK guidelines) to train several hundred personnel each year from UK and international decontamination validation service providers and sterile services departments (SSDs).
On the courses, delegates will use the technology to optimise their appreciation of cleaning efficacy within decontamination processes by detecting where and how much protein is on surgical instruments after cleaning.
Bruce Garbutt, Training Consultant at Eastwood Park, said: ‘Protein decontamination currently represents the ultimate challenge in cleaning efficacy. If your process has removed protein you know your surgical instruments can be made safe to re-use. Pre 1999 we did not fully appreciate that it is possible to infect patients with prion diseases such as vCJD if our cleaning processes are not optimal.
‘More recently we have begun to realise how swab tests to detect protein levels can be flawed, hence the imperative for an in situ test such as ProReveal.
‘Since the CFPP 01-01 guidelines published last year highlighted that in situ fluorescence detection of proteins is a more sensitive protein detection method, we have been planning for the future by reviewing tests to include in our decontamination courses, which could comply with this new guideline.’
