Sterilization of instruments and OT

cleaning
Terminal Cleaning of Operating Rooms: What It (Really) Means

• It’s imperative that operating rooms be kept clean in order to ensure

patient and healthcare staff safety from harmful microorganisms.
Terminal cleaning is typically carried out after an operating room has
been used to treat a patient with a multidrug-resistant organisms
(MDROs) infection.
• MDROs, like Methicillin Resistant Staph aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin
Resistant Enterococci (VRE) and Chloridoids Difficile Infection (CDI or C-
diff), are resistant to several different types of antibiotics.
• Terminal cleaning must be conducted on an operating room after it’s
used to treat patients with MDRO infections to prevent the spread of
these deadly contagions.
What is Terminal Cleaning

• Terminal cleaning refers to the cleaning procedures used to control the

spread of infectious diseases in a healthcare environment.

• While methods vary between healthcare institutions, terminal cleaning

routines usually include:

• Removing all detachable objects

• Disinfecting lighting and air duct surfaces
• Cleaning everything downward to the floor
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX71CodNbvc
Steps in Terminal cleaning
• The first step in terminal cleaning is for staff to suit up in barrier
garments, including face masks, gloves and booties, in order to
prevent the spread of microorganisms outside of the contaminated
room.

• After staff have properly suited up, they will:

• 1. Remove all detachable objects from the room in order to disinfect

them in specified controlled environments. This allows them to be
returned after the terminal cleaning has taken place.
2. Use approved cleaning chemicals to disinfect the room from the
ceiling to the floor.

3. Start by cleaning all lighting fixtures and grates adorning the ceiling,
working down to the walls and eventually the floor.

For those items, staff must:

4. Completely disinfect wheels, pads, railings and any other surface of

equipment to ensure the most thorough disinfecting of the operating
room takes place.