Ultra-Sensitive Protein Detection on Surgical Instruments

Synoptics Health, a manufacturer of innovative digital imaging systems for healthcare applications, has announced that Alphasonics, a premier supplier of advanced ultrasonic cleaning systems is utilising the ProReveal, an accurate test to detect proteins on surgical instruments, to optimise the performance of its new Medstar ultrasonic cleaning systems. This will in future provide professionals working in sterile services departments (SSDs) with ultrasonic technology plus a validation procedure that delivers the ultimate in cleaning capabilities that will enable full compliance with the new HTM 01-01 guidelines.

The highly sensitive ProReveal in-situ fluorescence test’s unique ability to detect nanogram levels of protein on surgical instruments is being used at Alphasonics to detect how much protein the soon to be introduced Medstar range of advanced ultrasonic cleaning systems removes from calibrated Edinburgh soil, baked on pig brain, as well as other standards. Since ProReveal provides quantitative data on residual protein, Alphasonics’ experts can determine how altering ultrasonic frequencies and system construction directly impacts the amount of protein that remains after cleaning, thus making designing optimum parameters for maximum protein removal a quicker and more precise task.

David Jones, Managing Director at Alphasonics stated: “We have been developing ultrasonic cleaning systems since 1993 and have realised that our unique, advanced technology could be used effectively for removing protein from surgical instruments. We took advice from hospital decontamination experts and invested in a ProReveal test to help validate our developments because this test is considered the gold standard for accurate protein detection.”

Jones added: “Since installing the ProReveal, we have run over 1000 Edinburgh soil and baked on pig brain tests to assess a range of different parameters that affect ultrasonic cleaning. Using the ProReveal we have been able to refine our ultrasonic technology to reduce the amount of residual protein from over 20 micrograms to less than 0.5 micrograms per test soil. We could not have achieved this without using the ProReveal for instant and sensitive cleaning validation.”

Guy Fiddian, of SDI’s Synoptics Health concluded: “Alphasonics’ Medstar advanced ultrasonic cleaning systems are revolutionary products and we’re delighted that ProReveal’s robust performance validation has assisted in their development. ProReveal and advanced ultrasonic cleaning are now the perfect partnership of decontamination and validation technologies and will significantly improve the way surgical instruments are cleaned and their cleanliness validated forever.”

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