Antisepsis, Disinfection and Sterilization
Concurrent Education Session - 60 minutes
Ruth Carrico, PhD DNP APRN FSHEA CIC
Associate Professor
University of Louisville School of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases
Louisville, Kentucky
BD USA: Speaker/Honoraria; Nanosonics: Consultant/Advisory Board, Research Grant, Speaker/Honoraria; Pfizer: Advisory Committee/Board Member, Consultant/Advisory Board, Research Grant, Speaker/Honoraria; Sanofi pasteur: Consultant/Advisory Board, Research Grant, Speaker/Honoraria
Robert Garcia, BS, MT(ASCP, ASM), FAPIC, CIC
Clinical Support Specialist - Healthcare Epidemiology
Stony Brook University Hospital
Stony Brook, New York
Nothing to disclose
Crystal Heishman, MBA, MSN, RN, ONC, CIC, FAPIC
Infection Preventionist
University of Louisville Hospital
Louisville, Kentucky
Ultrasound is used throughout healthcare departments to guide a variety of percutaneous interventions such as biopsies and injections. Federal guidelines from the FDA and CDC are based on the Spaulding criteria. Where medical devices contact or enter sterile tissue or the vascular system, these are classed as being critical devices and require sterilization, or a minimum of HLD with use of a sterile sheath. Some ultrasound probes may contact sterile tissue and therefore may be classified as critical devices.
A recent survey of IPs has revealed a variety of disinfection and use practices for ultrasound probes. This session will review the frequency of contact between the ultrasound probe, needle, and puncture site in a range of typical percutaneous procedures, revealing a high rate of contact. This suggests that these probes should be classified as critical devices in many cases. Such findings support a need for facilities to identify which departments are using ultrasound for interventions, and observe the procedures carried out by the range of end users to determine their Spaulding classification and appropriate level of reprocessing.
Tools developed by a group of IPs will be presented to help facilities survey and risk assess their practices and policies during these procedures to ensure patient safety.