From NAN websiteEnsuring the Safety of Patients and Staff During...

From NAN website

Ensuring the Safety of Patients and Staff During the Management of COVID-19

The high transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 means infection control practices are essential for preventing hospital acquired COVID-19. During patient care, ultrasound probes may become contaminated with SARS-CoV-2. Generally speaking, the Spaulding classification would be applied to determine the level of disinfection required based on the next use (Table 1).^5,6 During the COVID-19 outbreak, facilities may decide to perform a higher level of disinfection than that required by Spaulding (Table 1). Recent guidelines have suggested some settings could perform more frequent HLD of ultrasound equipment.^7,8 This includes ICUs since the patient population is typically immunocompromised and more predisposed to infection.⁷

HLD: high level disinfection. LLD: low level disinfection. %Minimum disinfection level is based on the Spaulding classification.^5,6 *Patients presenting to emergency departments may have unexpected lesions or dermatitis around the scanning area which would render the probe semi-critical, requiring HLD before use. #While not mandated by the Spaulding classification, facilities may decide to use a higher level of reprocessing for a greater margin of safety. ^Sterilisation is required for critical probes; HLD with use of a sterile sheath is acceptable if sterilisation is not possible.⁶