It Was All Yellow!

What’s this?  Instruments containerized with a yellow biohazard sticker?  What does yellow mean and what do I do?

These instruments have been exposed to chemotherapy or other hazardous drugs.  But don’t panic!  You just must take a few extra precautions when reprocessing these instruments. 

Don’t lax on your Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)!  Remember you are handling something very dangerous! 

Double check your gloves to make sure they are approved for handling hazardous drugs.  For example, regular exam gloves are not enough protection.  Wear your fluid resistant gown, face protection and shoe covers.

Now it’s time to soak, baby, soak.  Your chemo instruments need to soak in facility-approved detergent.  Whichever detergent your facility is using, always follow the detergent Manufacture's Instructions For Use (MIFU)!  Follow your facility Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) regarding soak time.  Once enough soak time has passed, you must wash each instrument carefully, below the water, using to-and-fro friction.  This helps dislodge the drug residue from the surface of the instrument. 

Yes, this may be time consuming.  But you must follow each step to make these instruments safe for handling.  A quick wash and rinse will not suffice to detach the chemo drugs.

What’s important is once you’ve finished washing your instruments, drain your water and thoroughly clean out your sink and work area so you can avoid cross contamination of the drug onto other instrumentation and surfaces. 

Get new brushes before you continue with other instruments. 

We as sterile processing professionals handle all kinds of bioburden and potentially harmful substances.

Safety is at the core of everything we do, for ourselves and for our patients.  Just remember that the yellow sticker isn’t a cause for panic; just a few extra steps in decontamination. 

Instruments exposed to hazardous drugs do not come to Sterile Processing Department (SPD) often, but it can happen so be informed.  Be prepared.  You got this!