Translated article] Surface disinfectants used in healthcare environments.

Surface disinfectants used in healthcare environments.

Best practices in disinfection of noncritical surfaces in the health care setting: Creating a bundle for success

Disinfection and the prevention of infectious disease: No adverse effects?

Innate resistance to sporicides and potential failure to decontaminate

(1) Introduction: The novel respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), also called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is rapidly spreading in many countries and represents a public health emergency of international concern. The SARS-CoV-2 transmission mainly occurs from person-to-person via respiratory droplets (direct transmission route), leading to the onset of mild or severe symptoms or even causing death. Since COVID-19 is able to survive also on inanimate surfaces for extended periods, constituting an indirect transmission route, healthcare settings contaminated surfaces should be submitted to specific disinfection protocols. Our review aimed to investigate the existing disinfection measures of healthcare settings surfaces, preventing the nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2. (2) Materials and Methods: We conducted electronic research on PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Cochrane Library, and 120 items were screened for eligibility. Only 11 articles were included in the review and selected for data extraction. (3) Results: All the included studies proposed the use of ethanol at different concentrations (70% or 75%) as a biocidal agent against SARS-CoV-2, which has the capacity to reduce the viral activity by 3 log10 or more after 1 min of exposure. Other disinfection protocols involved the use of chlorine-containing disinfectant, 0.1% and 0.5% sodium hypochlorite, quaternary ammonium in combination with 75% ethanol, isopropyl alcohol 70%, glutardialdehyde 2%, ultraviolet light (UV-C) technology, and many others. Two studies suggested to use the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered disinfectants, while one article chooses to follow the WST-512-2016 Guidance of Environmental and Surfaces Cleaning, Disinfection and Infection Control in Hospitals. (4) Conclusion: Different surface disinfection methods proved to reduce the viral activity of SARS-CoV-2, preventing its indirect nosocomial transmission. However, more specific cleaning measures, ad hoc for the different settings of the healthcare sector, need to be formulated.

Medicines under additional monitoring in the European Union

Adaptive microbial response to low-level benzalkonium chloride exposure

Cleaning – on the way to evidence-based knowledge

For well over a decade, many deficiencies have been identified in current AOAC methods used to assess the microbicidal activities of chemical disinfectants on medical devices and environmental surfaces. This report discusses the development of quantitative carrier tests (QCT) designed to address these concerns. Decontamination of surfaces with dried inocula is invariably more difficult than when microorganisms are in suspension. For medical device as well as environmental decontamination, microbicides are used on contaminated surfaces, thus making it necessary to evaluate their microbicidal action on representative carrier materials contaminated with a dried challenge microorganism(s). Our approach is a 2-tiered QCT. The first tier (QCT-1) uses relatively ideal conditions to assess performance of the microbicide for screening purposes; the test uses smooth glass surfaces and quantities of disinfectant in excess of those likely to be experienced in the field. The second tier of testing (QCT-2) is more stringent because it uses (1) disks of brushed stainless steel as carriers, (2) only 50 microL of the test formulation on each carrier as compared to 1 mL in QCT-1, and (3) an added soil load to simulate the presence of residual body fluids or accumulated surface dirt. This review also discusses the factors that affect disinfection of medical devices and environmental surfaces in the context of the methodology used to evaluate the potency of microbicides. Specific recommendations for discussion are included, and performance criteria are suggested based on a risk-reduction approach for different classes of disinfectants. The focus is on improving the relevance of the test methodology to actual field use of disinfectants for devices and facilities in health care, and potentially in other settings. It is hoped that this review and its recommendations will initiate needed discussion and resolution of the many issues identified.

Background and importancePharmacovigilance (PV) is a public health activity in which clinicians are legally and medically involved. Notification of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is essential to ensure the safety of...

Utilidad de la ficha técnica de los medicamentos como herramienta para mejorar la prescripción en pacientes mayores

Surface disinfectants can be based on different types of biocidal agents such as benzalkonium chloride, DDAC, glutaraldehyde, alcohols, hydrogen peroxide, silver (mostly in combination with hydrogen peroxide), peracetic acid and sodium hypochlorite. A health benefit was described in outbreak situations or on special care units for products based on different types of biocidal agents. A low adaptive response in combination with mostly an inhibition of biofilm formation and removal of existing biofilm can be attributed to none of the biocidal agents. Overall, on surfaces where biofilm formation should be inhibited the use or peracetic acid seems to be the most appropriate option (low selection pressure, mainly inhibition of biofilm formation, mainly moderate removal of biofilm). Hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite have also a low selection pressure and can moderately remove biofilm but they increased biofilm formation in more species. They seem to be appropriate on surfaces where enhancement of biofilm formation is of minor relevance. Benzalkonium chloride seems to be the least suitable biocidal agent taking into account the frequently observed strong and stable adaptive response, cross-tolerance to some other biocidal agents and selected antibiotics and the inconclusive effect on biofilm formation and removal.

Adecuación de la seguridad del metamizol y agranulocitosis

Does disinfection of environmental surfaces influence nosocomial infection rates? a systematic review

Ct values and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces