Hemodynamic catheters are widely reused mainly in developing countries where the cost of new devices is very high. Scientific publications point to an absence of validated cleaning and sterilization processes and there is a consensus that reusing these devices causes physical, chemical and funcional damage. So what is the evidence related to the use of this kind of catheter? The objective of this study is to identify the scientific evidence related to the effects of reprocessing. A search for publications in English, Portuguese and Spanish was performed in Medline/Pubmed and LILACS using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms and free terms without stipulating restraints on time. In total 21 papers were analized. It was found that there is commonly damage to the surface polymers as identified by eletronic microscopy. Failure in the cleaning and sterilization process was identified by the presence of debris and microrganisms at the end of the procedure. The results of this study are very important when choosing to reuse hemodynamic catheters.
Balloon dilatation; Equipment reuse; Cross infection; Sterilization
