Synoptics Health’s ProReveal Protein Detection Test Helps Serchem Rapidly Optimize Detergent Chemistries to Meet Decontamination Regulations

Scientific Digital Imaging’s Synoptics Health Division, a manufacturer of innovative digital imaging systems for healthcare applications, today announced that the UK’s leading healthcare detergent manufacturer and supplier, Serchem, is utilizing ProReveal, a test to detect proteins on surgical instruments, to accurately diagnose the efficacy and optimize the chemistry of its detergents for protein removal. This will in future provide professionals working in sterile services departments (SSDs) and endoscopy facilities with detergents that deliver the ultimate in cleaning capabilities.

The highly sensitive ProReveal in-situ fluorescence test’s unique ability to detect nanogram levels of protein on surgical instruments is being used in Serchem’s R and D department in Telford, UK to test the efficacy of its alkaline, neutral and enzymatic cleaning ranges to remove proteins from specifically calibrated protein soil test standards. Since ProReveal provides quantitative data on residual protein, using the results of these experiments, Serchem’s formulation scientists can assess how effective current detergent ranges are. Using the ProReveal will also allow them to determine how manipulating components of the detergent’s formulation directly impacts how much protein can be removed, thus making designing an optimum formula for maximum protein removal a quicker and more accurate task.

Paul Arnold, Sales Director at Serchem stated: “We supply detergents to over 240 sterile service and endoscopy decontamination sites in the UK alone so we’re all too aware of how challenging removing residual protein from surgical instruments can be. Financial constraints are being placed on many hospital sites, some with older less efficient equipment and less than ideal water conditions where investment for new washers and water treatment may not be possible and this is proving to be a challenge. Then there is the issue of the instrument manufacturers’ cleaning instructions that complicates the decision making process even further. Therefore, it is up to detergent manufacturers to intelligently design their products to deliver maximum cleaning efficacy, even when washing processes are sub-optimal.”

Paul Arnold added: “We believe that ProReveal can play a vital part in that process and is a technology not to fear but to embrace. This is why we have installed the ProReveal and staff are finding it is very straightforward to use in our R and D department, where the test is already providing us with some very informative data ensuring our detergent formulations can perform perfectly under the scrutiny of the ProReveal test, which we all know is fast becoming the benchmark diagnostic for the most accurate protein detection on surgical instruments. Based on this evidence Serchem will have a major competitive advantage. More importantly, our quality by design detergents will meet the rigorous cleaning standards set by any hospital in the world.”

Paul Ellwood, SDI Synoptics Health’s CEO concluded: “Serchem is a very proactive and ethical company. Their realization of the diagnostic power the ProReveal technology can offer and their visionary utilization of the test show that they are willing to push established boundaries to develop highly effective detergents. This commitment to quality will assist SDD professionals to continuously improve their decontamination processes with fit for purpose detergents that will meet any minimum safe residual protein contamination guidelines both nationally and internationally. This in turn, will improve the cleanliness of reprocessed surgical instruments and could result in a significant reduction in the risk of iatrogenic infections for thousands of patients.”