Van Wicklin Sharon Ann
AORN J. 2019 Jul;110(1):49-59. doi: 10.1002/aorn.12724.
This article reviews current literature about the contamination of laryngoscope blades and handles, disinfection practices for laryngoscope blades and handles, and environmental effects and costs of reusable and single-use laryngoscopes. This review shows that inadequately processed rigid laryngoscopes may have the ability to transmit infections to patients and health care personnel. Although the laryngoscope handle has been considered a noncritical item that contacts only intact skin, health care team members should consider both the laryngoscope blade and handle as semicritical items and process them by high-level disinfection (HLD) or steam sterilization according to manufacturer's instructions. The fewest environmental effects occur when a reusable stainless-steel laryngoscope is processed by HLD. Laryngoscope costs are lower for processing reusable laryngoscope handles and blades by HLD and highest for single-use laryngoscopes. Evidence-based guidelines are needed to specify and standardize best practices for processing rigid laryngoscopes.
本文综述了有关喉镜镜片和手柄污染、喉镜镜片和手柄的消毒方法，以及 reusable 和一次性喉镜的环境影响和成本的当前文献。该综述表明，处理不当的硬质喉镜可能会将感染传播给患者和医护人员。尽管喉镜手柄一直被视为仅接触完整皮肤的非关键物品，但医护团队成员应将喉镜镜片和手柄都视为半关键物品，并根据制造商的说明通过高水平消毒（HLD）或蒸汽灭菌进行处理。当通过 HLD 处理 reusable 不锈钢喉镜时，对环境的影响最小。通过 HLD 处理 reusable 喉镜手柄和镜片的成本较低，而一次性喉镜的成本最高。需要基于证据的指南来明确和规范处理硬质喉镜的最佳做法。
