Studies on the optimization of decontamination protocol for surfaces contaminated with cytotoxic drugs in PIVAS

The goal of this study was to create a cleaning procedure by comparing the performance of six different cleaning methods on the surfaces in pharmacy intravenous admixture service (PIVAS) work area. A stainless steel plate was simulating contaminated by gemcitabine, cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, etoposide, and paclitaxel, which was then dried and cleaned by per current cleaning protocols. The residues were collected and quantified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS). Based on the most appropriate cleaning protocol, three cleaning variables were optimized: (1) use of dry gauze after cleaning agent application; (2) cleaning paths (inside-out vs. outside-in); (3) cleaning times (once or twice). Best conditions were tested with real samples from a hospital PIVAS. This 10–2 M sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dry gauze cleaning protocol increases cleaning efficiency as well as saves time. Different from the traditional cleaning manner, we found that cleaning from outside to inside can not only improve the cleaning efficiency but also overcome the uneven distribution of drug residues caused by cleaning action. When simulating contamination at a high dose (4 mg/mL) level, it was found that the decontamination efficacy increased with repeating one more time. The 10–2 M SDS and dry gauze cleaning protocol could obtain the best cleaning effect. The success of cytotoxic drug decontamination is determined not only by the cleaning solution, but also by the cleaning route and frequency. Compared with the traditional cleaning manner, there was a significant reduction in the contamination levels in the PIVAS work area after the cleaning protocol with 10–2 M SDS and dry gauze.