A consensus was reached and documented following an April 2010 summit of various accreditation bodies, agencies and organizations, including the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, AORN, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, The Joint Commission and the Food and Drug Administration. The summit discussed and established a consensus on the correct definition and understanding of immediate-use steam sterilization.
The organizations’ statement finds the process of flash sterilization sound but found that the term does not fully or adequately describe the sterilization cycles now being used to process instruments. The organizations also found the term does not include the presently practiced critical steps of cleaning, decontamination and aseptic transport.
Read the AORN Connections news report about flash sterilization.
Read other coverage about ASC quality:
– Study Finds Gloves, Antimicrobial Stewardship Vital to Prevention of C. Difficile Infection
– APIC Responds to Published Study on Surveillance for Public Reporting of Bloodstream Infection Rates
