English
One of the biggest concerns surrounding every Central Sterile Department in hospitals and nurseries is a bacterium called Clostridium difficile.
The spores of Clostridium difficile survive in clinical environments for long periods: The species name is New Latin, from the Greek kloster, “spindle”, and Latin difficile, “difficult, obstinate”. The organism forms heat-resistant spores that are not killed by alcohol-based hand cleansers or routine surface cleaning.
Healthcare workers can spread the bacteria to their patients if their hands, surgical instruments, or other medical devices such as bedpans are contaminated. The bacteria may be cultured from almost any surface.
Clostridium difficile bacteria and their spores are found in feaces. It is transmitted from person to person by the fecal-oral route. People can get infected if they touch surfaces contaminated with feces, and then touch their mouth.
For healthy people, Clostridium difficile does not pose a health risk. The elderly and those with other illnesses or who are taking antibiotics, are at a greater risk of infection.
Recent studies* affirm that Clostridium difficile infects almost half a million people in America. Only in 2011 a proportional number of deaths were caused by this bacterium. Slightly less than a half percent of cases started in nursing homes or community health care settings, while one third occurred in hospitals.
So, this raise the question that AT-OS works every harder day to answer: How should be cleaned and disinfected specific medical devices, surgical instruments, and bedpans in order to be risk-free?
AT-OS bedpan washer-disinfectors are provided with special ©AT-OS disinfection program with direct spraying appliance to eliminate Clostridium difficile bacterium. The test has been approved by the University of Bonn (Germany).
You can take a look at At-Os’ high-tech range of bedpan and instruments washers here.
*Belluck, Pam (February 25, 2015). “Death Toll From C. Difficile Is Raised”. The New York Times. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
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At-Os will attend Medica 2016. Come and meet us at pavilion 12 –stand D63.
