Each year, thousands upon thousands of people go to hospital to get cured, acquire an infection while in hospital, and die. In fact, this is so common that the elderly in particular say that the only reason they would go to hospital would be to die. While hospitals do a lot to prevent the spread of infections, they could do a lot more. Using proper sterilization procedures with products such as Cidex OPA could in fact make all of the difference. In using products such as those, medical personal and patients alike could see their health protected significantly.

The Need for Cidex OPA

It is very important that surgical implements and tools are stored properly after they have been sterilized, so that they can safely be used during medical procedures. It doesn’t matter whether this procedure is a simple tooth cleaning or open heart surgery, storage and sterilization has to be done properly. One way to achieve this, for example, is to use sterilization pouches straight after the tools have been sterilized, so that no germs are able to get to them until the exact instant of use, which is again in a sterile environment.

But why does all of this matter? The Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (RID) has reported that some 103,000 people die every year as a result of infections acquired in hospital. Those figures are high, and they only report the deaths. There are many thousands more who suffer from lengthy illnesses and temporary or permanent disfigurements, impairments, and disabilities as a result of these preventable infections.

It is believed that as many as 5% of all acute care patients acquire an infection while in hospital. This is the equivalent of some 2 million people per year. Most of these, thankfully, do not result in death, but all of them come with worry, pain, and discomfort, the possibility of further hospitalization, increased expenses, and more.

Worrying, there is so much more that hospitals could do, not in the least because it is common knowledge where germs are likely to cause infections. Those are:

• Catheters, leading to urinary tract infections.
• Ventilators, leading to pneumonia.
• IV lines, leading to infections of the bloodstream.
• Surgery, leading to site and wound infections.

These types of infections are known as “nosocomial” infections. They are 100% avoidable if proper sterilization policies and procedures are in place and adhered to.

The sterilization pouch is one of the simplest solutions to use to ensure equipment and tools remain safe after they have been sterilized. However, hospitals do have to take responsibility and ensure that they only purchase them from trusted companies, just as they would with their sterilization fluids. Most importantly, however, hospitals need to start to take more responsibility for the damage they cause to their patients by not continuously enforcing proper sterilization techniques and procedures. For instance, even hand washing is still lacking significantly, despite sterile hand wash being provided near every door.