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This paper reports on tests of cleaning and disinfection of stainless steel bedpans which have been coated with either a silicone grease or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The coatings were applied manually using an aerosol spray (silicone grease and PTFE), and by an industrial process (PTFE). Soils used comprised (i) British Standard Soil (B.S., 1966), (ii) human serum albumin labelled with technetium-99m (HSA-Tc), and (iii) a suspension of Streptococcus faecalis in broth. Tests of cleaning and disinfection were carried out in automatic washing and steam disinfector machines. Results show that aerosol spraying impairs the cleaning process but that bedpans coated by the industrial process with PTFE are superior to uncoated bedpans.

Tests of effectiveness of disinfection of metal and polypropylene bedpans were made in a washer fitted with a steam generator. Broth cultures of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, or Streptococcus faecalis (approximately 4 x 10(8) organisms) were sealed in lengths of capillary tubing and attached to the surface of the pans. In other tests, pans were contaminated with an artificial soil containing Str. faecalis (10(8) organisms/ml). In both series of tests, counts of surviving organisms were made at the end of the washing and disinfection cycle. The tests using capillary tubes showed that the Gram-negative bacilli were effectively killed, but not necessarily Gram-positive cocci. However, when incorporated in standard soil, Str. faecalis was killed or removed during the cycle. The results indicate that the disinfection process was effective for metal bedpans, but less so for polypropylene. Possible disadvantages and modification of the machine are suggested.