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.
This month CS Medical is excited to be releasing our newest addition to your toolkit for transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) ultrasound probe reprocessing: TDefender Distal Tip Protector. This latest innovation is designed to protect TEE probes during transportation to and from the procedure room.
There are actually five great reasons to start using probe covers for your TEE ultrasound probes.
We’ve all been there. Looking at a food item that has technically expired according to the label, but looks and smells fresh. It’s easy and typically safe to ignore the label and just eat the food. But is it safe to use enzymatic cleaners or high-level disinfectants after they have expired?
The quality of that water is of extreme importance, especially the water used after the high-level disinfection.
Multi-use disinfectants are not the only option available for high-level disinfection.
Improper modes of transportation introduce unnecessary risk to patients, staff, probes, and the facility.
Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) ultrasound probes carry a rich and fascinating history.
Learn why you should be drying TEE probes with QwikDry Ultrasound Probe Drying Cloths prior to storage.
When it comes to medical devices and the products needed for reprocessing transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) ultrasound probes, generic forms of high-level disinfectant can lead to very serious and costly consequences.
Where does Spaulding Classification come from and what are the classifications?
What is the FDA and what does it even mean to say that a product has been cleared for use by the FDA and how is such clearance obtained?
Despite all the negative feelings surrounding CE, it is actually not a waste and certainly not pointless. CE is very important, even for those who have been in the field for decades.
Waste has become a major issue over the last few decades. As society has advanced, more and more things have become disposable and we have become more and more willing to just toss things in the trash, even when it's not necessary.
How much goes into reprocessing a simple TEE probe, anyway? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a PDF outlining everything you need to know about disinfection and sterilization.
Now that surveys have resumed, it is important to know what has changed in the survey process and how you can be better prepared. The survey process looks "somewhat different" according to TJC.
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.
Cleaning a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) ultrasound probe is vital to achieving high-level disinfection.
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.
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.
In this age of instant information at our fingertips, technologies that retain all information on a patient procedure and make it easily transportable via thumb drive are very attractive. But are they compliant with laws and standards set by HIPAA and by accrediting agencies, like TJC?
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.
When you’re considering purchasing an automated TEE ultrasound probe reprocessor for your facility. At CS Medical, we recognize that every facility has different preferences and needs, so we provide several state of the art options to take into consideration:
The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) state, in their most recent published, Guidelines for Reprocessing the Ultrasound Transducer that “Effective disinfection or sterilization requires adequate cleaning.”
As you have been thinking about or reviewing existing SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures), a key factor that is important to always remember is your staff and the complex job they are tasked to complete.
Peracetic acid (PAA) is a high-level disinfectant (HLD) used in various industries ranging from sterilization in a healthcare setting to food processing.
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?
In an effort to reduce the amount of time healthcare professionals must spend reprocessing transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) ultrasound probes, our scientists and engineers have developed the TD 200® Automated TEE Probe Disinfector with TD 12® AquaCide® High Level Disinfectant.
While transesophageal echocardiography has been helpful in assessing cardiac function for COVID-19 patients, COVID-19 presents healthcare facilities with new challenges.
We have recently upgraded and significantly expanded our in-house Microbiology and Chemistry Laboratories. This renovation helps keep us on the cutting edge of our field and provides you with great products that can get the job done right, every time, saving you time, money, and stress.
After bedside cleaning, cleaning, and then high-level disinfecting a TEE ultrasound probe, it’s time to give it a quick wipe with a paper towel and store it. If this sounds familiar, you’re not drying your probes properly.
Knowing the incredible lengths our healthcare workers have gone to keep us all safe has inspired CS Medical to provide solutions to keep our healthcare workers safe.
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.
After you remove your TEE probe from your TEEClean or TD 100 and you dry it off? Should you hang it up, put it in a case, or something else? And once stored, how long can probes stay high-level disinfected? Let’s go over the basics and understand what the best practices are for TEE probe storage.
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.
In an effort to better serve our customers, CS Medical’s Service Department would like to announce the production of TD 100 Service Videos.
Our CS Medical team receives a lot questions regarding Annual Device Verification, so we’ve put together a list of some of the most common concerns and their responses:
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...
According to HIPAA, ePHI is, “any protected health information that is created, stored, transmitted, or received in any electronic format or media.” Any medical device which retains this information can prove to be a weakness in your facility’s defense of patient ePHI...
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?
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.
There are at least three solid reasons for making the change to automation and propelling your healthcare facility into the future.
Too many facilities have no standardized way of storing transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) ultrasound probes. Some facilities have used transportation cases to store their TEE probes, but that is not their intended use and is actually prohibited in several countries.
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.
Let’s look at four HLDs commonly used to reprocess TEE ultrasound probes and find out what the risks are and how to mitigate them.
Give your staff the training they need so that they can give your patients the care they deserve.
When reprocessing TEE ultrasound probes, it is vital to perform electrical leakage testing after every single use. While the reasons for electrical leakage testing are numerous, there are three reasons that really stand out...
Standard operating procedures (SOPs) can save the day at your healthcare facility and even save lives.
Are you prepared to provide records of every single cleaning, disinfection, and maintenance event for your TEE probes?
The Joint Commission (TJC) will score them based on the procedure they use to high-level disinfect TEE probes, many do not realize that proper storage is also on TJC’s audit checklist.
Companies which offered comprehensive training programs to their employees enjoy a 24% higher profit margin than those who spent less on training.
A feature that can give users and healthcare facilities more confidence that they are providing patients with the highest level of care and security.
Material compatibility testing is what ensures the safety and longevity of practically every medical device on the market
This year, APIC’s 46th annual conference was held in Philadelphia, PA, from June 12-14.
When considering purchasing new equipment and putting new processes in place, healthcare facilities always have to consider whether these changes will save money.
When reprocessing transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) ultrasound probes, sometimes the numerous steps can feel overwhelming
Overlooking water quality can have serious repercussions for patients and healthcare facilities.
In recent years the development of single-use HLDs has introduced a new question: is single-use a better option than reusable?
When biofilm forms on a device, like a transesophageal echocardiogram ultrasound (TEE) probe, it is nearly impossible to remove and can endanger patient safety.
Occupational exposure poses a real risk to employees at healthcare facilities and must be properly addressed in order to keep everyone in good health.
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.
What do you do when your TEE ultrasound probe has broken? There are many complications that can result from an inadequate repair.
If a probe is not cleaned properly, it may result in biofilm developing on the probe, making disinfection difficult to achieve.
Since TEE Probes and Endoscopes can look alike, it can be easy to assume that they can be cleaned and disinfected in the same manner.
