Medical Tech Outlook

Alex D'Souza

Equipment and medical devices should be cleaned and stored according to regulatory criteria to avoid contamination, which could endanger patient health.

Fremont, CA: There is no room for mistakes during the cleaning of medical device components. Manufacturers are under a lot of pressure to guarantee that large, tiny, and submicroscopic pollutants are safely removed. Failure to do so could result in life-altering, even fatal repercussions. The importance of thorough cleaning of medical device pressings is then codified in industry norms, such as Clean Room Standards. Indeed, sterilization alone will not suffice, as residual residue poses a serious hazard to patient safety. While there are other methods for removing particles, oils, and general pollution from a pressed component, technical cleaning and passivation are universally accepted as the most common and reliable.

Different methods of technical cleaning of medical devices:

Vapor degreasing

Vapour Degreasing is a type of technical cleaning that is quite effective. The approach was widely used in the 1980s before many manufacturers abandoned it at the turn of the decade due to worries about its reliance on toxic chemicals. Degreasing has re-emerged in recent years, rivaling the aqueous system that displaced it originally, because of modern solvent technology that includes environmentally friendly and low-temperature cleaning components. The new approach has many advantages, the most notable of which is a lower bioburden impact.

Passivation

After a mechanical procedure, such as machining, passivation has been shown to prevent stainless steel corrosion. It works by removing free iron and iron complexes from stainless steel surfaces using citric or nitric acid. This aids in the formation of a protective oxide layer that is less likely to react chemically with air or water and hence corrode. The protective layer is only a few molecules thick, yet it is essential in protecting the underlying metal. While passivation is clearly effective, the fact that it incorporates acids necessitates additional precautions during the cleaning procedure. Engineers are given specialized handling equipment and safety gear to ensure that no one is in immediate danger.

Ultrasonic technology

Solvent cleaning, which uses ultrasonic technology, is another example of advanced technical cleaning. This approach is guaranteed to remove even the tiniest particles and allows penetration of all types of medical pressing, including ones with hidden crevices. It accomplishes this by allowing the cleaning solution to penetrate deeper. Ultrasonic cleaning relies on a physical phenomenon caused by waves passing through a liquid and colliding with an object. Agitating is the term for this procedure. Another example of safe and effective technical cleaning is the use of ultrasonic technology.