Prions: transmissible pathogenic agents that cause a variety of neurodegenerative diseases of humans and animals, including sheep and goats, bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. They are unlike any other infectious pathogens because they are composed of an abnormal conformational isoform of a normal cellular protein, the prion protein (PrP). Prions are extremely resistant to inactivation by sterilisation processes and disinfecting agents. Process challenge device (PCD): item designed to simulate product to be sterilised and to constitute a defined challenge to the sterilisation process and used to assess the effective performance of the process. A PCD is a challenge test pack or test tray that contains a biologic indicator, a Class 5 integrating indicator, or an enzyme-only indicator. QUAT: abbreviation for quaternary ammonium compound, a surface-active, watersoluble disinfecting substance that has four carbon atoms linked to a nitrogen atom through covalent bonds. Recommended exposure limit (REL): occupational exposure limit recommended by NIOSH as being protective of worker health and safety over a working lifetime. Frequently expressed as a 40-hour time-weighted-average exposure for up to 10 hours per day during a 40-work week. Reprocess: method to ensure proper disinfection or sterilisation; can include: cleaning, inspection, wrapping, sterilising, and storing. Sanitiser: agent that reduces the number of bacterial contaminants to safe levels as judged by public health requirements. Commonly used with substances applied to inanimate objects. According to the protocol for the official Sanitiser test, a Sanitiser is a chemical that kills 99.999% of the specific test bacteria in 30 seconds under the conditions of the test. Shelf life: length of time an undiluted or use dilution of a product can remain active and effective. Also refers to the length of time a sterilised product (e.g., sterile instrument set) is expected to remain sterile. Spaulding classification: strategy for reprocessing contaminated medical devices. The system classifies a medical device as critical, semicritical, or noncritical on the basis of risk to patient safety from contamination on a device. The system also established three levels of germicidal activity (sterilisation, high-level disinfection, and low-level disinfection) for strategies with the three classes of medical devices (critical, semicritical, and noncritical). Spore: relatively water-poor round or elliptical resting cell consisting of condensed cytoplasm and nucleus surrounded by an impervious cell wall or coat. Spores are 64 ΚΛΙΝΙΚΕΣ ΚΑΤΕΥΘΥΝΤΗΡΙΕΣ ΟΔΗΓΙΕΣ • ΑΠΟΣΤΕΙΡΩΣΗ
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