Avoid Long Delays in Instrument Decontamination, Reprocessing
Leaving instruments unprocessed for any period of time can lead to the development of biofilm. The recommendation is to begin the cleaning process as soon as possible. As a matter of fact, a number of manufacturer’s instructions for use (IFUs) are now specifying the time frame that cleaning should be implemented. This ranges from “immediately after use” to “within 10, 20 or 30 minutes;” it varies with the device/instrument manufacturer. The manufacturer’s IFUs should always be followed.