Incidence of Visible and Occult Blood on Laryngoscope Blades and Handles

Abstract

Anesthesia providers must take appropriate precautions to reduce the potential for transmission of infectious agents to the patients under their care. The devastating spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) over the past decade has resulted in the development of specific guidelinesfor the cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, and handling of medical equipment and instruments. Contamination of laryngoscope blades and handles with visible andoccult blood frequently occurs during routine ainway management. Several studies suggest either procedures for cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, and handling of laryngoscope blades and handles are ineffective, or there may be poor compliance with the established protocols. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of visible and occult blood on laryngoscope blades and handles that were identified as ready for patient use.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1996
Accession Number
AD1011534

Entities

People

  • Rita A. Phillips

Organizations

  • Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Analgesia
  • Anesthesia
  • Anesthesiology
  • Endoscopes
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Hiv Infections
  • Infection Control
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Medical Personnel

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Environmental Engineering.
  • Infectious Disease/Epidemiology
  • Medical or Health Care Field.