ATP testing: an anecdotal look at its use in an office-based plastic surgery setting.

Proper cleaning of surgical instruments prior to sterilization is an essential objective in the surgical setting. Testing for the presence of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) on a cleaned instrument can help determine if it meets cleanliness requirements for sterilization. A program was piloted in our facility by using a commercial ATP testing system. In this article, our experience with the evaluation of available ATP testing systems, the implementation processes we used, and conclusions drawn from our procedures and results are described.