Emergency Preparedness

Kern Medical Bioterrorism Response Guide Section 2-C-1 – Smallpox

Reprocessing Bifurcated Needles Bifurcated needles may arrive from the manufacturer sterilized and individually wrapped or in bulk, requiring subsequent sterilization prior to use. These needles are intended to be single use only. However, because supplies may be limited, especially during mass vaccination programs, it may be necessary to reprocess and reuse these needles. The procedures described below are restricted to cleaning and sterilizing bifurcated needles only. Procedures for reprocessing bifurcated needles must address: ? Preventing healthcare worker and patient exposure to bloodborne pathogens (i.e., hepatitis B and C viruses and HIV virus); ? Preventing of occupational sharps injuries. The following procedures are designed to protect patients and the health care workers from exposure to bloodborne pathogens as well as other infections: ? Place used needles in a plastic, screw top container or other sealable transport device and secure the container for transport to a healthcare facility. ? Handle needles as little as possible during processing. Use tongs, hemostats, forceps or other devices to transfer the needles to a shallowcontainer. ? Place needles in an enzyme solution or other approved soaking solutionused to clean surgical instruments. Do not use alcohol, glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde, or other oxidizing solutions such as hypochlorites, peroxides, or peracetic acids because these may damage the needle tip. ? Rinse the needles with tap water and allow to air dry on a cleansurface ? Package the needles individually or in groups of 10 - 15 in plastic or peal packages. The bifurcated end of the needle should point downward toward the bottom of the package. ? Sterile the needles at 121 degrees C for 30 minutes or 133 degrees C for 4 minutes. ? The needles can also be placed in a dry-heat oven and baked at 170 degrees C for 60 minutes, 160 degrees C for 120 minutes, or 150 degrees C for 150 minutes ? Boiling and flaming are alternative methods for sterilizing bifurcatedneedles, but should be used only when other options are not available. Frequency of Reuse Bifurcated needles should not be resterilized and reused more than 50 times. Multi-dose Vials Patient to patient transmission of bloodborne viruses has been reported. To prevent transmission a contaminated needle should never be allowed to reenter the vaccine vial. Preparation of vaccine and reprocessing of needles should be physically separated.

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