EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Technical Assistance NiBP Cuff Infection Control

Hi All. I'm trying to get some feedback on how hospitals handle infection control of NiBP cuffs. Can anyone give me a pointer to some guidelines?

Thanks
Richard

How about this pointer:- whenever I come across one that's really grotty, it gets binned! Common sense, I would have thought.

Mind you, I save the connectors, if they're still in good condition (and sometimes even the tubing as well, after wiping them off with an alcohol "wipe").

On the other hand, if all that's wrong with the cuff is a "few" hairs (etc.) on the Velcro, I usually clean it all off with a soft wire brush. I must admit, though, that I've never seen anyone else do this (especially those who should be keeping the cuffs clean ... that is, the ward staff)!

Wrap around ones can be laundered if the bladder is removed.

I've never seen that done, either. Does it ever get done?

Welch Allyn FlexiPort cuffs can be machine washed, if i can get the funding i would like to supply one cuff per patient and wash them in our Decontamination room between patients.

Lee

Have you tried?, everytime I have washed anything with velcro attached, the velcro is ruined.

Hi Richard,

From our Infection Control Cleaning of Reusable Equipment document - "Any reusable equipment or equipment that comes into contact with intact skin must be cleaned before it is used. Hot water and detergent is acceptable for routine cleaning.
If a surface is contaminated by blood or other body fluids disinfection is required."

To quote from our Infection Control Standard Precaution document - "Patient care equipment which becomes contaminated with infective material, must be either discarded properly, or correctly disinfected before re-use."

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The following is a bit off topic ...
we normally replace our BP cuffs not because of infection control but because the hook side of the velcro doesnt attach well to the loop side. It appears to be still physically intact but we know its time to change it when initial pressure goes to 180 or above before the machine starts to bleed air. You can imagine how the patient reacts.
The bladders are ok, its just the velcro, and our cuffs bear the bp machine manufacturer's logo. We confirmed that it was the velcro as we "auditioned" several cuffs from Advantage Med and these lasted far longer than the "original".

According to Welch Allyn's web site (that Huw's given a link to in a recent post)

Lee