NR AOGU
AU Mauz,P.S.; Tropitzsch,A.; Funk,D.; Dworschak,M.; Plinkert,P.K.
TI [The use of disposable instruments of a high performance polymer for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy]
OT Kunststoff-Einmalinstrumente aus Hochleistungspolymer bei Tonsillektomien und Adenotomien
QU HNO 2003 May; 51(5): 405-13
PT journal article
AB Cases of the new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in human beings have to be anticipated in Germany. In subclinical vCJD, the accumulation of prions in lymphoid tissue has been identified prior to their manifestation in cerebral tissue. The remarkable resistance of prions to standard methods of sterilisation questions the safety of reusing metallic surgical instruments. The transmission of vCJD via such reusable surgical instruments in tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies cannot be excluded. In this study, 96 tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies were performed with disposable instruments made of a high performance polymer (Aesculap, Tuttlingen). No increase in the number of intra- or postoperative complications was evident. These disposable instruments may represent an alternative to reusable metallic surgical instruments in potentially infected patients or in patients desiring the use of disposable instruments during their operation for safety reasons.
MH Adenoidectomy/*instrumentation; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Child; Child, Preschool; Comparative Study; Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome/*prevention & control/transmission; Cross Infection/*prevention & control/transmission; *Disposable Equipment; English Abstract; Equipment Design; Equipment Failure Analysis; Female; Human; Infant; Male; Middle Aged; *Polymers; Postoperative Complications/etiology; Risk Factors; *Surgical Instruments; Tonsillectomy/*instrumentation
AD Univ.-HNO-Klinik Tübingen. Paul-Stefan.Mauz@med.uni-tuebingen.de
SP deutsch
PO Deutschland