Fresh from our Microbiology and Chemistry Laboratories comes a new white paper written by CS Medical’s Chief Science Officer, Thomas H. Fischer, Ph.D. Dr. Fisher explains that while transesophageal echocardiography has been helpful in assessing cardiac function for COVID-19 patients, COVID-19 presents healthcare facilities with new challenges.
As a result of COVID-19’s high transmission rate, those who reprocess probes must be sure that their reprocessing method is reliable and effective enough to ensure the elimination of harmful bacteria on the transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) ultrasound probes. According to Dr. Fisher, single-use high-level disinfectants (HLDs) are the best solution to this problem as they are always of the proper strength and concentration.
The increased volume of patients caused by the sudden spread of COVID-19 has also lead to increased strain on healthcare personnel. With this added stress, the possibility of mistakes being made and steps getting skipped increases. Dr. Fisher believes that the best solution to this problem is the implementation of automated cleaning and disinfecting of ultrasound probes; this would hugely diminish the opportunity for human error.
Dr. Fisher’s detailed analysis drives home the point that the best method for TEE probe reprocessing is one that implements both single-use HLD and automation. By implementing both of these, healthcare facilities could reduce the new risks of pathogen transmission posed by COVID-19.
Learn more from Dr. Thomas H. Fischer’s entire white paper here.
