Biomed Middle East » Ineffective laundering mechanism of surgical scrubs: Potential source of healthcare-acquired infections. Biomed Middle East.
The matter of concern, however, is that sometimes uniforms “enter” healthcare facilities already contaminated. A study found that 39 percent of healthcare workers’ uniforms tested were positive for VRE, MRSA, and C. difficile at the start of shift. These findings certainly suggest that the laundering mechanism is potentially failing to achieve uniform decontamination. The subject of where and how surgical attire is laundered becomes an extremely important issue. A survey of healthcare staff in the UK’s NHS trust revealed that 90 percent of that staff took responsibility for the laundering of their uniforms.There have been several studies which have raised troubling questions about the safety and efficacy of the home-laundering of surgical attire. A study of the typical home-laundering process (wash cycle with detergent alone, rinse cycle and a 28-minute permanent press drying cycle) revealed that significant concentrations of viruses (adenovirus, rotavirus, and hepatitis A virus) survived the process and could also be transferred to uncontaminated garments.Other studies have documented the presence of Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE), methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Clostridium difficile on home-laundered uniforms, suggesting the inadequacy of the home-laundering process in eradicating these organisms.
