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Why is compliance with the applicable guidelines for water treatment in the sterile processing procedure so relevant for orthopaedics?

In orthopaedic surgery in outpatient clinics, the availability of sterile instruments for orthopaedic procedures is of great importance.

For orthopaedic operations such as the insertion of

  • Knee arthroscopy (e.g. meniscus resection or suturing, cartilage smoothing)
  • Shoulder arthroscopy (e.g. rotator cuff reconstruction, removal of inflamed tissue)
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome decompression,

implants must be placed with sterile instruments in a sterile environment. In order to provide this, demineralised process water is required throughout the cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation process. If bacteria, viruses or fungi enter the operating theatre during surgery, they can cause bone infections (osteomyelitis), for example. Such infections can lead to further operations and impair the functionality of the affected limbs. In some cases, an infection can even lead to an implant having to be removed and replaced. To minimise this risk of infection, safe instrument reprocessing with specially treated process water is necessary. Special water treatment systems are used for this instrument reprocessing process, which ensure that ultrapure water can be provided for this purpose. The quality of the treated water is continuously monitored to ensure that the recommended limit values for all parameters are adhered to.