Surgical Instrument Discolouration Guide
What is Causing your Instrument Discolouration?
Light/Dark
Typical causes:
Lime deposits in water
Slow/bad drying process
Substances in chemicals
Rusty
Typical causes:
Blood debris
Mixing stainless and plated steel
Water with high iron content
Materials in new systems
Brown
Typical causes:
Exposure to too high a temperature (>200 C)
Being sharpened or polished incorrectly
Purple/Red/Black
Typical causes:
Ammonia
Amines after de-calcification