One of the most effective ways to combat crossinfection is to use sterile disposable equipment and instruments. ‘Cross-infection’ is the word used to describe the transmission of pathogens with which the patient does not come into contact until they are in hospital. If a new instrument that has been packed and sterilized in a factory under the most hygienic conditions possible is used for each patient every time they are treated, the danger of passing infections on in this way is reduced to a minimum.

It is also, to a large extent, an economic question whether disposable medical equipment is used. Efficient production of disposable equipment has made it so inexpensive that sterilisation of reusable equipment in hospital would be far more costly than using a new disposable instrument. With the lack of qualified personnel available today, this is a way to cut costs considerably. The consumption of sterile disposable instruments has soared in the last few years.

Reprinted with Permission from www.multivac.com