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Disinfection and Sterile Techniques

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The Ultimate Guide to Point-of-Care Ultrasound-Guided Procedures

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Abstract

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is expanding with an increasing role in clinical decision-making and as an adjunct for clinical procedures. As transducers come into contact with more patients, sonologists must keep in mind the potential for a transducer to transmit pathogens between patients. Cleaning and disinfection of medical equipment is a necessary step to prevent the spread of infectious disease. Infections and deaths related to healthcare-associated infections burden the US healthcare system by $28 to $33 billion annually. In spite of this, there are no universally adhered-to guidelines for the disinfection of ultrasound probes. Across institutions, transducer decontamination practices vary widely. A recent trend has shown increasing stringency by hospitals and medical centers in enforcing strict decontamination practices, sometimes more than recommended. In this chapter, we will discuss probe contamination risks, disinfection recommendations, and several options for covering the ultrasound probe.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northwest Medical Center, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Sean Maley

  2. Emergency Medicine, SUNY Upstate University Hospital, Syracuse, NY, USA

    Alison Thurber

Authors
  1. Sean Maley
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  2. Alison Thurber
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Srikar Adhikari

  2. Department of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Michael Blaivas

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Maley, S., Thurber, A. (2020). Disinfection and Sterile Techniques. In: Adhikari, S., Blaivas, M. (eds) The Ultimate Guide to Point-of-Care Ultrasound-Guided Procedures . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28267-7_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28267-7_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-28265-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-28267-7

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