Impact of an oil-based lubricant on the effectiveness of the sterilization processes .

摘要

Surgical instruments, including hinged instruments, were inoculated with test microorganisms (ie, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, approximately [Formula: see text] colony-forming units [cfu]; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, approximately [Formula: see text] cfu; Escherichia coli, approximately [Formula: see text] cfu; vancomycin-resistant enterococci, [Formula: see text] cfu; Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores, [Formula: see text] cfu or more; or Bacillus atrophaeus spores, [Formula: see text] cfu or more), coated with an oil-based lubricant (hydraulic fluid), subjected to a sterilization process, and then samples from the instruments were cultured. We found that the oil-based lubricant did not alter the effectiveness of the sterilization process because high numbers of clinically relevant bacteria and standard test spores (which are relatively resistant to the sterilization process) were inactivated.