Westerway Susan Campbell, Basseal Jocelyne M, Brockway Adam, Hyett Jon A, Carter Dee A
Faculty of Dentistry & Health Sciences, Charles Sturt University NSW, Australia; Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM), Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM), Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Ultrasound Med Biol. 2017 Feb;43(2):421-426. doi: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2016.09.004. Epub 2016 Oct 26.
Ultrasound equipment used in trans-abdominal (TA) and trans-vaginal (TV) examination may carry bacterial contamination and pose risks to infection control during ultrasound examination. We aimed to describe the prevalence of bacterial contamination on ultrasound probes, gel, machine keyboard and cords and examined the effectiveness of low- and high-level disinfection techniques. This study was performed at a public hospital and a private practice. A total of 171 swabs were analyzed and bacterial species were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) analysis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sixty percent of TA probes and 14% of TV probes had evidence of bacterial contamination after an ultrasound examination. Low-level disinfection was partially effective, but 4% of probes were still contaminated by spore-forming species. Some heated gel samples were highly contaminated with the environmental bacterium Brevundimonas aurantiaca, suggesting the gel was conducive to bacterial growth. Ultrasound machines, probe cords and gels were identified as potential sources of bacterial contamination and need to be cleaned and changed regularly to minimize risks of infection.
经腹（TA）和经阴道（TV）超声检查中使用的超声设备可能携带细菌污染，并在超声检查期间对感染控制构成风险。我们旨在描述超声探头、耦合剂、机器键盘和电线的细菌污染发生率，并检验低水平和高水平消毒技术的有效性。本研究在一家公立医院和一家私人诊所进行。共分析了171份拭子，并使用基质辅助激光解吸/电离飞行时间（MALDI-TOF）分析和聚合酶链反应（PCR）鉴定细菌种类。超声检查后，60%的经腹探头和14%的经阴道探头有细菌污染迹象。低水平消毒部分有效，但4%的探头仍被形成孢子的物种污染。一些加热的耦合剂样本被环境细菌橙色短波单胞菌高度污染，表明耦合剂有利于细菌生长。超声机器、探头电线和耦合剂被确定为细菌污染的潜在来源，需要定期清洁和更换，以将感染风险降至最低。
