Disposal of laboratory equipment including IVD medical devices, whether used at point-of-care or in the laboratory needs to be done with due care. Safety of user, environment and people handling the disposal starting from de-commissioning to final disposal is of prime concern.
In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) devices may be disposed-off due to any of the following reasons:
- Rapid diagnostic test kits after use.
- Device is breaks down frequently and is beyond repair.
- The technology is obsolete or the kit has expired
- The device has been re-called by the manufacturer
- The necessary reagents or consumables are no longer commercially available and hence the equipment cannot be used.
Due care needs to be taken during disposal of laboratory equipment (or kits/ devices) for safety of all the people concerned. As per WHO guidelines, the safety considerations for disposal of an IVD depend on its category as tabulated below:
- Biological safety refers to measures taken to protect the user, patient and environment from any biological source of contamination. The approach that needs to be taken towards infection control is to treat all human blood and certain human body fluids as if they were known to be infectious for HIV, HBV and other blood borne pathogens. This is called “Universal precautions”. Disinfection (using antimicrobial agents, other than antibiotics or antiseptics), sterilization (using autoclave), and use of other biocides are various ways of ensuring biological safety. Single-use HIV-1/2 RDTs could be autoclaved or incinerated prior to disposal.
- Chemical safety refers to measures taken to protect the user, patient and environment from any harmful effects of chemical exposure. Chemical solvents are often used in pathology, laboratories and other departments. Chemical waste consists of discarded solid, liquid and gaseous chemicals generated during diagnosis with medical devices and during cleaning and disinfection. For more information on how to responsibly dispose-off chemicals read the following WHO guidelines
- Electrical safety refers to measures taken to protect the user, patient and environment from the harm due to any electrical malfunction. Most of the medical devices today are electrically operated. Proper insulation, earthing etc. form part of electrical safety precautions that needs to be taken while handling these equipment.
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