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Neurosurgery Could Spread Protein Linked To Alzheimer's, Study Finds (theguardian.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Surgical instruments used in brain operations should be treated to ensure they are not contaminated with proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease, according to scientists who found evidence that they may be spread by certain medical procedures. The researchers urged doctors to decontaminate neurosurgical tools more thoroughly as a precautionary measure to reduce the potential risk of spreading abnormal proteins known to build up in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. Prof John Collinge, director of the Medical Research Council prion unit at University College London, said that while Alzheimer's disease was not contagious, there was a slim risk that harmful proteins that drive the disease could spread through brain surgery and other rare procedures.
This has been an issue for years since the recognition of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease as a prion disease. Hospitals are more and more moving to disposable equipment, although this is not yet possible for neurosurgical instruments. Special cleaning procedures are already in place for surgeries having a high risk of contamination.