To try to stem the increasing incidences of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), hospitals are stepping up their disinfecting protocols on medical devices. But these more-stringent practices that may use either stronger chemicals, or the more frequent use of them, or maybe both, could have harmful effects on some plastic devices, causing them to break, crack, or degrade prematurely. Manufacturers need to understand, from the design stage forward, how their products will be cleaned and then plan to use plastic materials that will stand up to these various disinfecting formulations and procedures.
MD+DI spoke with several experts in the plastics materials industry, as well as an expert in reprocessing, to explore how manufacturers can ensure that their plastic materials remain durable despite frequent contact with these new chemicals.
Author: Susan Shephard
