Abstract
The disinfection of contaminated suction bottles in a ward sluice room is potentially one of the most hazardous tasks carried out by nursing staff. Disposal of the contents by tipping down sluices or by previous treatment with disinfectants may result in potential pathogens being spread either through aerosol formation or by contact. Disinfection in a liquid disinfectant after emptying is also very uncertain due to difficulties of total immersion of both the bottle and lid. To solve this problem it was suggested that this task should be undertaken in a Hospital Sterilization and Disinfection Unit. However, sterilization of the bottles and their contents by heat, before cleaning, would make subsequent cleaning an impossible task due to coagulation of the contents. The use of similar methods to those currently in use on the wards only results in the transfer of the hazard from one department to another. Automatic washing and disinfection of the bottles appeared to offer the best solution and accordingly a machine was designed for this purpose. The Department of Health and Social Security agreed to fund the construction of the prototype machine which was based on these ideas and would be capable of treating a variety of large suction bottles in pairs, with a turn-round time not exceeding 3 min. Thus, one person could deal with upwards of 200 bottles per day.
Published Version
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