Product Locator: October 2022
Infection Control Today's® Product Locator is a monthly column highlighting some of the latest advanced technology in the infection prevention field.
To help improve the vital work of those infection preventionists, nurses, and physicians in the infection control field, Infection Control Today® searches for interesting, supportive, and innovative products. These are this month's picks.
Belimed Ultrasonic Washers
Health care–associated infections and surgical site infections are expensive—physically, emotionally, and financially—for patients, health care workers, and facilities. One way to stop these infections is to verify instruments are disinfected and sterilized effectively. Ultrasonic cleaning prior to disinfection and sterilization is endorsed to assist in the process for complex and cannulated instrumentation.
Belimed Ultrasonic Washers will fill the need to eliminate all infections. Powerful cavitation breaks up gross soil and penetrates hard-to-reach areas in a way that brushes and sprayed water alone cannot. All Belimed units have clinician-friendly automatic tray lifts for reduced user strain, and a variety of Belimed’s ultrasonics offer wash, irrigation, and rinse options. Some units have advanced management information system and robotic processing features.
Interior tray clearance is 30 in wide, perfect for bariatric and robotic instruments. Some units have double- or triple-tray capacities with 70-lb maximum loads. They have a safety glass lid that allows users to verify instruments are submerged. Detergent dosing is accurate and repeatable with a flow meter. Accurate tank water temperature can be set from the display, and units have electronic water level sensors with 3 levels.
Vitalacy Automated Hand Hygiene Monitoring Solution
The Vitalacy Automated Hand Hygiene Monitoring Solution delivers precise hand hygiene adherence to facilities struggling with the problem. The artificial intelligence of the system provides more comprehensive information than an infection preventionist standing over a health care worker with pen and paper. It provides 24/7 coverage for all shifts and staff, cutting the cost of extra staff. The system has been recognized by Newsweek’s Best Health Care series as one of the best hand hygiene monitoring products.
The Vitalacy Automated Hand Hygiene Monitoring Solution works with dispensers currently in facilities, contains visual and vibrational reminders, and features simple daily use with low information technology impact. It gives real-time coaching for frequency and duration. The system has 3 wearable forms: SmartBadge, SmartBand, and SmartClip. These forms use USB recharging, have water-resistant touch screen sensors, and come in several stylish colors. They are made of silicone band with an antimicrobial zinc coating.
The data gathered from the hygiene monitoring devices can be sorted to view reports on individual, unit, departmental, or total enterprise performance.
Honeywell Soft Comfort Nitrile Exam Glove Soft Blue
Health care workers are constantly looking for the perfect glove to wear while they work. They need flexibility and tactile sensitivity to do their jobs well. The Honeywell Soft Comfort Nitrile Exam Glove Soft Blue may be what they are looking for.
These natural rubber gloves are specifically designed for patient care. Lightweight, powder free, and latex free, these nitrile exam gloves are thin and silky, providing the perfect fit for finger and hand movement in a variety of health care settings. The fingertips are textured for a better grip, and the cuff is beaded for protection. These gloves are specifically designed for a wide variety of low-fluid exposure situations, are nonsterile, and are cleared for use with chemotherapy drugs. The standard length is 9.5 in, finger thickness is .09 mm, and palm thickness is .06 mm. They are also ASTM D6319 and D6978 compliant.
https://sps.honeywell.com/us/en
WikiPouch by Infection Prevention Products
WikiPouch was created by Meredith Lloyd, a single mother of 5 children, midwife assistant, and charge nurse in a skilled nursing facility. She developed the idea after realizing that plastic bags, when used to store reusable respiratory devices, are a significant cause of health care–acquired infections (HAIs). Plastic bags allow pathogens to live and create cross contamination.
WikiPouch is a breathable, moisture-wicking pouch and replacement technology that reduces HAIs with the use of nasal cannulas, handheld nebulizers, and other respiratory devices. WikiPouches are also available for other uses, including storage of electric and nonelectric toothbrushes, snore guards, night guards, hearing aids, eyeglasses, Foley catheter covers, stethoscopes, bag valve mask, blood pressure cuffs, and bedpans.
WikiPouches come in black, blue, white, and pink colors and may be written on with permanent marker to individualize. Some have Velcro straps, drawstrings, or peel-and-stick closures. They are more attractive than plastic bags and eliminate the condensation that forms in plastic bags. They are cheaper than plastic bags because they do not have to be consistently replaced. They are great for camping and travel as well. Infection Prevention Products has sold over 1 million pouches to long-term care facilities around the United States, and sales continue to increase.
Healthmark Humipaks
Study results show soiled surgical instruments should not be allowed to dry because gross soil will be easier to clean and disinfect.1 Point-of-use treatment should include keeping the instrument moist, if not removing all gross debris, because the chemistry changes and that may
increase the cleaning challenge. Instrument manufacturers and associations like the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation and the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses recommend starting decontamination within 30 minutes. However, that is often not enough time.
Healthmark recognizes the struggle to clean and disinfect soiled instruments quickly and the need to keep them moist if they can’t be cleaned immediately. So Healthmark developed Humipak as a layer of highly absorbent material sandwiched between 2 layers of waterproof film.
The instruments or entire instrument tray are placed inside the clear Humipak. The specified amount of water is added to the absorbent layer, and the package is sealed by peeling away
the adhesive strip. Within this atmosphere, the instruments stay moist up to 3 days, allowing more time to begin the decontamination process and staving off the change in debris chemistry. The delay in this change depends on the instrument type and the composition of the residue and gross debris.
Humipaks come in various sizes, from 7.9 × 13.8 in to 30.3 × 25.5 in.
Reference: Humipaks Whitacre Martonicz, TL. Environment and time cause chemical changes in clinical soil on medical devices. Infection Control Today. April 28, 2022. Accessed September 12, 2022. https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/environment-time-cause-chemical-changes-clinical-soil-medical-devices
Silentia Screens
Screens for patient privacy are used in many health care situations. Those screens are typically white or off-white cloth. What about a harder, smoother, and more substantial alternative? They would be easier and quicker to sanitize between patients without having to launder them, saving money. Silentia Screens fit those descriptions. Their folding privacy screens are flexible, easy to clean, and user friendly. The EasyCare and EasyClean functions create safe, mobile, and adaptable screens for increased hygiene.
The surfaces of Silentia Screens, including their joints, accessories, and trolleys, are easy to clean. They can be disinfected with cleansers normally found in health care settings and meet strict hygiene requirements. A single touch point handle minimizes the spread of pathogens, and the screens are easy to fold in and out. The wheels are encapsulated to block hair and dust from getting in and are easily removed to be cleaned in a shower or dishwasher.
Additionally, the screens can be attached, combined, and refigured easily for more privacy.
www.silentiascreen.com/us
CDC Strategies Preventing Hospital-Onset C difficile Effectiveness Inconclusive in Testing
April 15th 2024Hospitals using CDC prevention strategies had different incidences of hospital-associated Clostridioides difficile infection compared to those that didn't, but the reasons are not necessarily the strategies themselves.
