L/S Insulation testing?

[sunshine]

I'm finding that this is one of those 'some do,some don't' processes. At this time we do not test insulation on laparscopic instrument. Visual inspection. So with that said.......

If you test your instruments, how often do you do it?

If you don't test, why don't you, if you know?

Are all the testing units the same?

Any other issues that have come up for you with this process?

Thanks for your help

[jamaica]

We do the insulation testing on our L/S instruments. An outside company use to come and do it for us but that became to costly so we purchased a machine and stated doing it ourselves. Also we test after each use (after they have been decontaminated of course).

[Harvey Johnson]

We test insulation with a continuity tester each time as a part of the assembly process.

[pitbull]

we have the tester and wands and we test after each case the wands come sterile also so if we needed to test in the room we could plus we got loaners one time and to the eye they looked fine when tested they had bad holes that could have cause bad burns we didnt release them to the or and they were sent bad to the vender.

[Harvey Johnson]

Because of the way some folks upstairs treat the lap instruments, we test after each use prior to assembling the tray.

[sunshine]

What are the "wands"?

[pnothum]

Ideally the testing should occur at the point of use in the OR but I don't see that happening with any consistancy. Testing should not be an option--the issue is patient safety.

[Harvey Johnson]

sunshine,
The wands are part of a system where the rep will give you a base unit, you buy their connecting insulation test wands (plastic handles with holes to pass the instrument insulation through) which must be replaced after a set number of instrument tests.
Last year we purchased a continuity testing unit from spectrum and no longer use the wand system.

[allis]

Is it necessary to test all laparoscopic instruments for holes on the insulating coat? I think this test we are talking about is only needed for instruments with bovie posts. If electricity is not running through an instrument, why testing the insulation? Thanks in advance for your answers.