The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says infection-spreading medical devices include a range of reusable instruments found in outpatient facilities, according to an article on the Medscape website.
The CDC issued a health advisory urging all clinicians and facilities to double-down on properly cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing reusable medical devices, the article said.
Improper cleaning of reusable devices "is not just associated with the hospital environment," a CDC official said "Autoclaves are ubiquitous. They're in doctors' offices and clinics.
"We take it for granted, but people are using autoclaves without giving enough thought to doing every single step correctly."
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