A study of the effect of clinical washing decontamination process on corrosion resistance of Martensitic Stainless Steel 420

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Xu, Yunwei^{; *} | Huang, Zhihong | Corner, George

Affiliations: School of Science and Engineering, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 7450242877; E-mail: ywzxu@dundee.ac.uk.

Abstract: Corrosion of surgical instruments provides a seat for contamination and prevents proper sterilisation, placing both patients and medical staff at risk of infection. Corrosion can also compromise the structural integrity of instruments and lead to mechanical failure in use. It is essential to understand the various factors affecting corrosion resistance of surgical instruments and how it can be minimised. This paper investigates the effect on corrosion resistance from the clinical washing decontamination (WD) process, specifically by studying the changes in surface roughness and Cr/Fe ratio. Results indicate that the WD process provides a positive effect on smooth polished samples, while a lesser positive effect was observed on rough reflection reduced samples.

Keywords: Stainless steel, surgical instrument, decontamination, corrosion

DOI: 10.3233/BME-161590

Journal: Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 341-351, 2016