Autoclaving needles in vet AP?

[Guest guest]

Hi Jill, & All,

 

I wrote:

> But for humans, cross-needling, +/- autoclaving, is a no-no for me.

 

Jll replied:

> Phil, ... Do you recommend using (if

> available) disposal needles on animals as opposed to autoclaved

> needles?

 

Jill, if you had asked the question some years ago (BEFORE the

research with prion-infectivity remaining AFTER ashing infected

material at 600 DegC), I would have said that autoclaving was

100% effective.. After all, it is the standard means of " sterilisation "

in western hospitals today. It destroys most (if not all) known

bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc, EXCEPT prion infetivity.

 

You (and maybe other Listers) may not know of a confidential

(internal) report in the UK during the height of the new variant CJD

epidemic some years ago. I understand that the Transmissible

Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) Advisory Group recommended

destruction of ALL instruments (saws, drills, probes, forceps,

retractors, knives, etc) that came into contact with nerve/brain

tissue of any suspect human TSE case.

 

As destruction of hospital instruments would have cost the UK

Health Services something like £12 million per year, the report was

shelved. However, I understand that, where possible, the use of

relatively cheap disposable instruments has increased in UK

surgery, but that instrument reuse (after cleansing and autoclaving)

is still the norm.

 

Can UK members confirm this?

 

> I'm thinking in the context of a small animal clinic, dogs, cats

> and birds mostly. I imagine the more times a needle is used the

> more the possibility it has of having something nasty sitting on it

> and the practitioner is exposed to it. I don't know of any human

> practitioners that autoclave needles anymore but I do know some

> vets that do autoclave their acupuncture needles. Jill

 

TSEs occur in several animal species (sheep, cattle, deer, mink,

primates, other zoo species (including kudu), cats and dogs. Most

confirmed cases were contracted by eating prion-infected material,

or by inoculation of infected material into (esp the brains of)

experimental animals..

 

Though the risk of spreading TSEs via AP or hypodermic needles

is extremely low (and is, I think, not confirmed yet), if one aims for

100% safety re cross-transmission, one would not reuse needles in

animals, even after autoclaving.

 

In summary, I believe tha single-use disposable needles should be

mandatory for HUMANS (because of risk of transmitting TSEs), but

accept that autoclaving needles for VET use reduces the risk of

cross-infection to mnimal (but not ZERO) levels.

 

 

Best regards,

 

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