Medical Devices Pose Big Infection Threat

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers the following (non-comprehensive) tips for prevention of medical device infections.

In general, reusable medical devices or patient-care equipment that enters the vascular system or through which blood flows should be sterile. Sterilization could occur through a physical or chemical procedure. This may include ethylene oxide gas, chemical germicides, dry heat or include moist heat by steam autoclaving.

There are three levels of disinfection: high, intermediate, and low. High-level disinfection kills all organisms (except high levels of bacterial spores), intermediate kills mycobacteria, most viruses and most bacteria and low-level disinfection kills some viruses and some bacteria.

Heat-stable reusable medical devices that enter tissue or the blood stream should be reprocessed with heat-based methods of sterilization such as a steam autoclave.

Reusable devices or equipment (such as endotracheal tubes, anesthesia breathing circuits, and respiratory therapy equipment) that touch mucous membranes should at least receive high-level disinfection between patients.

Manufacturers' instructions for every device should be followed closely.