Use of glutaprotamin like surfactants for cleaning and disinfecting sensitive medical instruments

he application relates to a process for cleaning and disinfecting sensitive medical instruments, in particular endoscopes, using aqueous cleaning and disinfecting agent solutions. During the process, (a) the surfaces of the medical instruments to be treated are brought into contact with an aqueous disinfecting agent solution which is at a temperature of between 55 and 65 ‹C, held at said temperature from 1 to 15 minutes and subsequently separated off, the disinfecting agent solution containing at least one disinfecting substance from the group of the alkyl propylene diamines with the general formula (I), in which R1 is an alkyl group or alkenyl group with 8 to 18 carbon atoms, and R2 is hydrogen, an alkyl group with 1 to 4 carbon atoms or an amino alkyl group with 2 to 4 carbon atoms, and of the products known as glucoprotamine, as they are obtainable, in the mol ratio of from 1 : 1 to 1 : 2 at 60 to 175 ‹C, from alkyl propylene diamine of the formula (II) R3-NH-CH2-CH2-CH2-NH2, in which R3 is a linear alkyl group with 12 to 14 carbon atoms, by reaction with compounds of the formula (III), in which R4 is hydrogen or an alkyl group with 1 to 4 carbon atoms, as well as the salts thereof, and having a pH value of between 4 and 8; (b) the instruments are brought into contact with an aqueous cleaning solution before or at the same time as treatment with the disinfecting agent solution; (c) the instruments are rinsed with water and subsequently dried as known per se.