Instruments used on a suspected CJD patient
CRCST practice question · Departmental Considerations
A surgeon tells sterile processing that instruments were used on a patient with suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. What should the technician do first?
- A. Process the instruments with the usual washer cycle and standard sterilization
- B. Soak the instruments in a low-level disinfectant overnight before processing
- C. Follow the facility's prion policy, since routine processing may not inactivate prions
- D. Place the instruments in sterile storage until the diagnosis is confirmed
Answer
C. Follow the facility's prion policy, since routine processing may not inactivate prions
Prions resist standard cleaning and sterilization, so facilities have specific policies, often involving quarantine or special processing, for suspected CJD cases. Routine processing could leave infectious prions on instruments, and low-level disinfectants are not effective against them.
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