DTR Medical Ltd, 17 Clarion Court, Enterprise Park, Swansea, SA6 8RF, UK.  Tel 01792 797910, Fax 01792 797955

        Web-site by E-comservices.  www.e-comservices.co.uk   Hosted by Net Technical Solutions Ltd    www.ntsols.com

 RISK

• Patient Cross Contamination Risk
• Risk to Staff
• Inability to Decontaminate Prion Proteins with vCJD Risk

• RESULT

• Extended stay with additional cost
• Duty of care and staff welfare
• Damage to hospital reputation
• Risk of litigation and increased
• premiums  

 Contamination Risk -

Jobson Horne Probe

• Probe returned to ENT clinic after reprocessing and sterilisation
• Loop exhibits tissue remnants fixed in place
• Risk of cross contamination even with thin lumen
• Need to locate replacement instrument to complete procedure
• Additional reprocessing costs   

Front Page, 27th March 2006

Hidden CJD is new threat to thousands

By Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor

Thousands of peoplein Britain may be infected with variant CJD, the human equivalent of mad cow disease, without knowing it, research suggests.

“The abnormal proteins associated with prion diseases are very resistant to all conventional methods of decontamination.”

MHRA Device Bulletin August 2000(04) Single-use Medical Devices: Implications and Consequences of Reuse.

Risks from vCJD

According to the CJD Surveillance Unit , to 6 March 2006, there have been 155 deaths from definite or probable vCJD and 6 cases are still alive. CJD Surveillance Unit, Edinburgh