EBME Forums Forums Management Training Cracked Plastics

Just wondering if anyone else has problems with plastic casings cracking? This is on a range of equipment from different manufacturers in different areas of the hospital. Of course all the manufacturers advise us that this is happening nowhere else (hence this post!). Staff use a cleaning wipe which we've been advised is gentle enough to use on a person's skin and of course its not their wipes' fault. Anyone else been having these problems?

Do you mean before or after the kit bounces?

Welcome to the forum, Mate.

Yes, I have seen it a on Dialysis machines, there is a make of wipe that just destroys plastic.

I will hunt around to see if i have the name of them.

found it!............

-'Just to give you a bit of background info to my previous post - we found out that our nursing staff were not mixing the clearsurf in the proportions stated on the bottle. I think they thought they were mixing bubble bath or something it was that strong!'

and.....................
'we had a lot of trouble with plastic parts at the start (blood pump rotors, heparin and venous chamber clips, traffic lights) when we were using "mild" detergent wipes called PDI Sanicloth'

Hope that gives you something to think about........

That's why nurses have degrees!

Where's Matron when you need her?????

Geoff
Degrees of what??!! Incompetence?

The wipes used here are Servisan wipes and some of the equipment can't be dropped - light sources on a stack system, ultrasound machines, piped suction and vacuum regs. Granted some more of it can be dropped such as thermometers but of course this never actually happens here! Its just puzzling us as to why we suddenly have this issue on so many items. There could be a cracked fairy going around the place either.

Check someone could be going round using a cloth doused in IPA. I know wipes a re common place now but sometimes you have an individual whocant resist using a kidney bowl and a cloth.
We sent a global email telling them what not to use.

IPA? Didn't think may people used India Pale Ale as a cleaner

I also have seen this on hemodialysis machines. The clinic uses a wipe known as Alcavis. http://www.alcavishdc.com/
In a busy dialysis clinic the machines are wiped down up to 3 times/day. To meet infection control standards the surface must remain wet with the disinfectant for 5 minutes to be effective. It tends to make the plastic brittle over time.