{"id":9268,"date":"2025-11-01T07:19:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T07:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tristel.com\/asia-en\/latest-news\/\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T08:13:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T08:13:06","slug":"high-level-disinfection-what-when-and-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tristel.com\/asia-en\/latest-news\/high-level-disinfection-what-when-and-why\/","title":{"rendered":"High-Level Disinfection: What, When and Why?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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High-level disinfection (HLD) is a process that eliminates all vegetative bacteria, mycobacteria, enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, fungi and some bacterial spores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What\u2019s the difference between disinfection and sterilisation?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Required Level of Disinfection<\/th>Eliminates<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Sterilisation<\/td>All forms of microbial life<\/td><\/tr>
High-level disinfection<\/td>Vegetative bacteria, mycobacteria, enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, fungi and some bacterial spores<\/td><\/tr>
Intermediate-level disinfection<\/td>Bacteria, mycobacteria, enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, and most fungi<\/td><\/tr>
Low-level disinfection<\/td>Bacteria, enveloped viruses and some fungi<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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When should you high-level disinfect?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Spaulding Classification determines the appropriate level of disinfection (critical, semi-critical and non-critical) for reusable medical devices. The level of disinfection required will depend on the degree of risk of infection when the device is used.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CATEGORY<\/th>LEVEL OF CONTACT<\/th>DEVICE APPLICATION<\/th>REQUIRED LEVEL OF
DISINFECTION<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
CRITICAL<\/td>Contact with the bloodstream or sterile tissues.<\/td>Surgical instruments e.g. scalpels, tweezers, scissors, kidney dishes and clamps.<\/td>Sterilisation<\/td><\/tr>
SEMI-CRITICAL<\/td>Contact with mucous membranes or non-intact skin.<\/td>Endoscopes and endocavity ultrasound probes.<\/td>High-Level Disinfection<\/td><\/tr>
NON-CRITICAL<\/td>Contact with intact skin.<\/td>Skin-surface ultrasound probes


Stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs.<\/td>		Intermediate-Level Disinfection

Low-Level Disinfection<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Any device which comes into contact with blood from non-intact skin or mucous membranes (including non-critical devices used in interventional procedures) classifies, as a minimum, as a semi-critical device and ultimately requires high-level disinfection or sterilisation. Occasions where this would happen to a non-critical device include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n