Aesculap Spine
S
percutaneous instruments
6
General information
To prevent increased contamination of loaded instru-
ment trays during use, please ensure that contami-
nated instruments are collected separately and not
returned to the instrument tray.
Dried or affixed surgical residues can make cleaning
more difficult or ineffective and lead to corrosion of
stainless steel. Consequently, the time interval
between application and processing should not exceed
6 hours, pre-cleaning fixating temperatures >45 °C
should not be used, and no fixating disinfectants (con-
taining aldehydes/alcohols) should be used.
Excessive measures of neutralizing agents or basic
cleaners may result in a chemical attack and/or to fad-
ing and the laser marking becoming unreadable visu-
ally or by machine for stainless steel.
Residues containing chlorine or chloride - e.g. in surgi-
cal residues, drugs, saline solutions and water for
cleaning, disinfection and sterilization - may cause
corrosion damage to stainless steel (pinholing, stress
corrosion), thus rendering the products unusable.
These must be removed by rinsing thoroughly with
demineralized water and then drying.
Only use process chemicals that have been tested and
approved (with VAH, DGHM or FDA approval, for
instance, or feature a CE mark) and are recommended
by the chemical manufacturer as being compatible
with the materials. All the chemical manufacturer's
application specifications regarding temperature, con-
centration and contact time should be strictly
observed. Failure to do so can result in the following
problems:
• Visible changes to materials e.g. fading or changes
in the color of titanium or aluminum. As regards
aluminum, visible changes to the surface may
already occur at a pH level of >8 in the application/
working solution.
• Material damage such as corrosion, cracks, frac-
tures, premature deterioration or swelling.
¾Do not use process chemicals that cause stress
cracks or brittleness in plastics.
¾Clean the product immediately after use.
Please see www.a-k-i.org for more detailed informa-
tion on hygienically safe reprocessing which is protec-
tive of materials and retains their value.
¾Use suitable cleaning/disinfecting agents if the
product is put away in a wet condition. To prevent
foam formation and reduced effectiveness of the
process chemicals: Prior to mechanical cleaning
and disinfection, rinse the product thoroughly with
running water.
