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High-level disinfectants (HLDs) are used in healthcare to chemically disinfect reusable, medical and dental devices to prevent healthcare-associated infections among patients....Overview Glutaraldehyde. Ortho-Phthaldehyde. Peracetic acid. Hydrogen peroxide. Hypochlorous acid. Hypochlorite.

Disinfection High-level (semicritical items; [except dental] will come in contact with mucous membrane or nonintact skin) Intermediate-level (some semicritical items1 and noncritical items) Low-level (noncritical items; will come in contact with intact skin)

A liquid chemical sterilant/high level disinfectant is a germicide that is intended for use as the terminal step in processing critical and semicritical medical devices prior to patient use. Critical devices make contact with normally sterile tissue or body spaces during use.

HLD is to be used only for semi-critical items when sterilization is not practical. Items that enter sterile tissue or the vascular system are considered critical and must be sterile (e.g., surgical instruments, cardiac, urinary catheters, implants, and needles).

The World Health Organization provides guidelines related to infection presentation and also sterilization practices. Countries that don't have national regulations or guidelines can use standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The FDA definition of high-level disinfection is a sterilant used for a shorter contact time to achieve a 6-log10 kill of an appropriate Mycobacteriumspecies. Cleaning followed by high-level disinfection should eliminate enough pathogens to prevent transmission of infection.