Advances in Cleaning Technologies for Luminal Medical Devices

Huan Tan; Wenfang Zhou; Piao Tao; Lingyun Zhang

doi:10.11910/j.issn.2791-2043.2026.2.03

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Advances in Cleaning Technologies for Luminal Medical Devices

REVIEW ARTICLES | Updated：2026-08-31

- Advances in Cleaning Technologies for Luminal Medical Devices
- Sterile Supply Vol. 5, Issue 2, (2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  Xiangtan Central Hospital, Xiangtan 411000, Hunan, China
- Author bio：
- Funds：
- DOI：10.11910/j.issn.2791-2043.2026.2.03
  CLC：
- Online First：20 August 2026，
  
  Published：30 June 2026
- Accepted：
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Tan Huan,Zhou Wenfang,Tao Piao,et al.Advances in Cleaning Technologies for Luminal Medical Devices[J].Sterile Supply,2026,05(02):92-99.
DOI：

Tan Huan,Zhou Wenfang,Tao Piao,et al.Advances in Cleaning Technologies for Luminal Medical Devices[J].Sterile Supply,2026,05(02):92-99. DOI： 10.11910/j.issn.2791-2043.2026.2.03.

摘要

Abstract

Luminal instruments

with their complex configurations

narrow lumens

and tendency to retain organic matter after use

are the most difficult category to clean in the Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD) and have the highest re-cleaning rates. Their cleaning quality directly affects sterilization outcomes and patient safety. However

current technologies still face several persistent challenges: the absence of standardized pre-treatment protocols

marked variability in the efficacy of different moisturizing methods

and biofilm formation resulting from extended holding times of contaminated instruments; manual cleaning that depends heavily on operator technique

leading to inconsistent results; insufficient adaptability of mechanical cleaning equipment to complex luminal geometries

with steam penetration constrained by lumen length and diameter; and quality assessment that still relies primarily on visual inspection

while quantitative methods remain underutilized

making it difficult to accurately evaluate cleaning efficacy inside lumens. This article systematically reviews research progress on luminal instrument cleaning technologies in China from four perspectives: pre-treatment techniques

improvements in cleaning tools

upgrades to mechanical cleaning equipment

and quality assessment methods. For pre-treatment

this article evaluates the efficacy and operational convenience of various moisturizing agents and pre-cleaning approaches for biofilm disruption/loosening. For cleaning tools

this article describes the design rationale and clinical benefits of novel luminal cleaning racks

fixation devices

and internal illumination systems. For mechanical cleaning

this article details the operating principles and efficiency gains of pulsating vacuum washer-disinfectors and ultrasonic cleaning equipment. For quality assessment

this article compares the sensitivity and applicable contexts of visual inspection

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence assay

and protein residue detection. By examining the strengths and limitations of each technology

this article identifies current trends and suggests future research directions

with the aim of offering practical guidance for cleaning quality management of luminal instruments and informing subsequent investigations.

关键词

Keywords

references

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