Single-Use Surgical Instruments May Pose Risk to Patients

The UK Department of Health (London) has announced the reintroduction of reusable surgical instruments for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy due to adverse events caused by single-use instruments and the risk to patients. The announcement followed discussions with the British Association of Otorhinolaryngologists on these adverse events.

The use of reusable surgical instruments had been stopped because of worries of transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (vCJD), the human form of mad cow disease. The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) advised that there was a theoretical risk of vCJD transmission because the infective prion agent is not completely destroyed by normal sterilization. The SEAC had endorsed using tonsillectomy as a pilot procedure to determine how single-use instruments would work. However, this led to an increase in adverse events, such as increased bleeding.

The incidents were investigated by the Department of Health and Medical Devices Agency, which issued a hazard notice in October, and in December was forced to suspend the routine use of single-use diathermy. The agency has found that other single-use instruments have also led to adverse incidents that pose a risk to patients. In contrast, the risk of vCJD is only theoretical.




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UK Dep't. of Health