Properly cleaning and caring for TEE ultrasound probes is a monumental task. For those who handle these devices daily, it is possible to lose sight of the importance of what they do when they reprocess a TEE probe. Associated with this responsibility are significant hazards.
CS Medical LLC has decided to continue as an APIC Strategic Partner in 2021 in order to keep fighting towards healthcare-associated infection (HAI) prevention.
Each of the goals addresses an area in which TJC has noted some deficiencies in need of correction or attention. Review these goals for your own facility and see what you can do to improve patient outcomes.
Cleaning a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) ultrasound probe is vital to achieving high-level disinfection.
Not only are HAIs unbelievably expensive and damaging to a healthcare facility, but they diminish and sometimes reverse the hard work put in by healthcare professionals to get patients healthy. In some cases, they even lead to death.
This year is coming to a close. Finally. With 2020 in the rearview, many are looking expectantly to 2021, wondering what the new year will bring. While we can’t know what lies ahead for us in the coming year, we can prepare for it.
Becker’s Hospital Review reports that, “The total direct, indirect and nonmedical social costs of HAIs are estimated at around $96 billion to $147 billion annually, including loss of work, legal costs and other patient factors.” How can infections cost so much?
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread shortages of PPE in the healthcare world, especially of face masks, like N95 respirators. Seeing this major problem, CS Medical has teamed up with AirClean Systems to provide a solution to the PPE shortage: the UV Light Box.
Fortunately for those who were looking forward to visiting CS Medical’s booth this year, we have some wonderful news: you don’t have to miss out. Because of CS Medical’s dedication to stopping the spread of HAIs, we will be hosting a virtual event in lieu of attending APIC’s Annual Conference.
At the forefront of every healthcare worker’s mind these days are all the new risks posed by COVID-19. It is easy to feel like COVID-19 is an insurmountable disease which requires a major shift in how we think about high-level disinfection.
Organizing and implementing self-assessments may feel like an added pressure, but as everyone in the healthcare industry knows: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Do we have any reason to believe our water is always safe for consumption? More importantly, do we know that our municipal water is safe for rinsing semi-critical devices, like TEE probes and endoscopes, so as to retain high-level disinfection status?
Evidence has been presented that semi-critical devices, devices that come in contact with mucous membranes or non-intact skin, such as endoscopes and endocavity probes, cause more healthcare associated infections than non-critical or critical medical devices...
There are at least three solid reasons for making the change to automation and propelling your healthcare facility into the future.
When reprocessing TEE probes, the focus is on ensuring that the probe shaft is properly bedside cleaned, cleaned, and high-level disinfected. But what about the TEE probe handle and the cables?
Today, CS Medical announced a strategic partnership with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC)
The Joint Commission (TJC) has released its National Patient Safety Goals for 2020. According to TJC, these goals are developed in an effort to improve patient safety in hospitals in the coming year.
Standard operating procedures (SOPs) can save the day at your healthcare facility and even save lives.
When biofilm forms on a device, like a transesophageal echocardiogram ultrasound (TEE) probe, it is nearly impossible to remove and can endanger patient safety.
Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) place a huge financial burden on facilities, can have enormous impacts on a provider’s reputation, and put financial and emotional strain on patients.
If a probe is not cleaned properly, it may result in biofilm developing on the probe, making disinfection difficult to achieve.
by Brenna Morris, Microbiologist, B.S. and Tom Fischer, Chief Science Officer, Ph.D
by Accuratus Lab Services
Why TEE Complete Care® is so important: An insightful white paper that discusses the need for an evidence based scientific approach to HAI reduction.
Water is a critical component in the reprocessing of semi-critical medical devices, whether manual or automated disinfection, it is something that should be considered by healthcare professionals
