Please find attached a guide for cleaning the FISO pressure catheters (FISO-LS catheters). This covers items 750706, 750707, 750715, 750716, and 750714.

Health and Safety Precautions

Prepare and handle the cleaners as per the manufacturer's instructions.

Handling Precautions for Fiber Optic Pressure Catheter During Cleaning

During all cleaning manipulations:

Caution #1: DO NOT WIPE the sensor tip. Stop approximately 1 inch (2.5cm) before sensor tip. Be conscious of where the catheter is at all times, and take great care to handle it gently. Above all, NEVER touch the tip with anything other than the edge of a kimwipe.

Caution #2: DO NOT submerge the entire catheter. This may damage the fiber-optic connector side of the catheter and voids its warranty.

Caution #3: DO NOT immerse the junction (between clear and amber section) to avoid any risk of fluid to leak in.

Caution #4: DO NOT hit, or knock the sensor on the dish bottom or walls during the stirring.

General Precautions:

• Avoid sharp bending radius in the fiber-optic cable (<50mm).
• Avoid tension, pinch points, or twisting of the fiber-optic cable.
• Do not pull on fiber-optic to clear tangles; instead, carefully unwind.
• Always use protector caps on the fiber-optic connectors when the catheter is disconnected from the FPI-LS signal conditioner.
• Failure to clean immediately after use and according to directions may void the catheter warranty.
• Do not try to insert any kind of brush or foam swap to clean the gel at the sensing tip as you could damage the membrane.
• Delays in rinsing greatly reduce the cleaning effectiveness.

Before the Experiment

The distal tip can be immersed or soaked in distilled water or a saline solution to make the insertion easier.

The distal tip can be immersed in heparin solution to avoid blood clotting. The concentration of heparin, or alternative anticoagulant, should be determined by the experimental protocol.

DURING AND AFTER EXPERIMENT

Never let blood dry on the catheter tip! Always keep the tip soaking in saline or distilled water between experiments or until you are ready to proceed with the next cleaning step. 

CLEANING THE CATHETER SENSING TIP

The catheter tip must be cleaned immediately after every use.