Of new challenges and a world novelty - DGSV 2019 in Fulda

Malsfeld/Fulda – "Things are changing in central sterilizations. You notice that people are getting louder and that self-confidence is growing," a visitor to the trade fair says and describes the development which is going on in the area of the processing unit for medical products. While in the past, these departments often acted in the background of the hospital and were hardly perceived by the public, the public interest in the reprocessing of medical products and instruments has started to grow.

"Of course, surgeons want to work with state-of-the-art technology which helps patients and saves lives. What they often forget about, however, is the fact that these new devices also have to be reprocessed," adds the user. Furthermore, new regulations such as the new Medical Device Regulation, which has to be fulfilled by mid-2020, constantly demand new requirements and procedures. Users are thus expecting decision-makers to make manufacturers more obliged to publish comprehensive instructions for use which include the reprocessing of medical devices and are therefore able to increasingly standardize processes. "This is the only way we can reduce errors to a minimum," says a manufacturer who is also clearly in favor of stricter regulations.

Next to uncertainties and missing specifications, employees in central sterilizations often complain about very complex processing processes which are both personnel- and time-intensive. "Especially when it comes to cautery tips and HF instruments we need a lot of time and manpower. If we then, for example, work with a steamer, it is also very unpleasant for us because of the aerosols produced," says a trade fair visitor. Dr. Schumacher GmbH has been working on this problem for some time and has in cooperation with users been able to develop a unique innovation: PERFEKTAN DUO EFFECT, a combination of two substances which achieves visible cleaning results on cautery tips and HF instruments in the cleaning bath after 15 minutes only. The gentle combination is thus able to replace manual pre-cleaning which also damages utensils and therefore increases the service life of instruments. This allows PERFEKTAN DUO EFFECT to significantly reduce both time and personnel which is required in reprocessing processes – it is a real problem solver.

The very first release of PERFEKTAN DUO EFFECT was during the congress of the German Society for Sterile Supply, known as DGSV in Germany, in Fulda from October 2 to 4. The annual lecture and workshop program critically looked at recent legal requirements and the handling in central sterilizations and brought together users and developers, but also authorities. With regards to the new Medical Device Regulation and the sporicide standard EN 17126 published this year, the latter one in particular has come into focus.

The DGSV 2019 has once again shown that only a mutual exchange between the parties involved in central sterilizations can lead to a comprehensive process and targeted product solutions.