70% alcohol disinfection of transducer heads: experimental trials
| Autor: | George H. Talbot, Maureen Skros, Mary Provencher |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1985 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Cross Infection biology business.industry Transducers Sterilization General Medicine 1-Propanol Bacterial Infections Microbial Sensitivity Tests biology.organism_classification Surgery Care setting Disinfection Transducer Mycoses Transducers Pressure Positive culture Medicine Feasibility Studies Humans In patient business Enterobacter cloacae Biomedical engineering |
| Zdroj: | Infection control : IC. 6(6) |
| ISSN: | 0195-9417 |
| Popis: | We investigated the feasibility of transducer head disinfection with 70% alcohol wipes. In the initial trial, nine gas-sterilized transducers were inoculated with an estimated 5 × 106 organisms of a clinical isolate of Enterobacter cloacae, mimicking a contaminated fluid couple. A sterile disposable transducer dome was attached to each transducer. The units were allowed to sit for 24 hours at room temperature; the domes were then removed. Three transducer heads were cultured prior to disinfection to ensure that viable organisms remained. Each transducer head was wiped clean with a single alcohol wipe, allowed to dry, and then cultured. All nine cultures showed growth of E. cloacae. A second series of trials with 54 transducers employed an identical protocol, except that each transducer head received not one, but two, applications of alcohol. In addition to E. cloacae (26 runs), Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans were employed in nine, nine and ten runs, respectively. Cultures of 53 of 54 transducer heads showed no growth; the single positive culture was attributed to an error in technique. These preliminary results suggest that the double-alcohol-wipe technique may be an easy, cost-effective, alternative or supplemental method of transducer head disinfection. However, we do not advocate routine implementation of this technique in patient care settings until clinical trials confirm its safety and efficacy. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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