ArticleEuropean radiology2017
Bacterial contamination of ultrasound probes in different radiological institutions before and after specific hygiene training: do we have a general hygienical problem?
Article in European radiology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Imaging of the Equine Abdomen Using Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS)-A Resource for the Equine Practitioner.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Review
- Optimizing Ultrasound Probe Disinfection for Healthcare-Associated Infection Control: A Comparative Analysis of Disinfectant Efficacy.Microorganisms · 2024Review
- Non-contact photoacoustic imaging with a silicon photonics-based Laser Doppler Vibrometer.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Genome-wide comparative analysis of clinical and environmental strains of the opportunistic pathogenFrontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
- Australian sonographers' perceptions of patient safety in ultrasound imaging: Part 1 - identifying the main safety concerns, a qualitative study.Ultrasound (Leeds, England) · 2023Article
- Addressing intimate partner violence during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: how radiologists can make a difference.European radiology · 2021Article
- [Disinfection of transvaginal ultrasound probes-A current overview of methods and recommendations].Der Gynakologe · 2021Review
- Patient Safety in Medical Imaging: a joint paper of the European Society of Radiology (ESR) and the European Federation of Radiographer Societies (EFRS).Insights into imaging · 2019Article
- Would it be safe to have a dog in the MRI scanner before your own examination? A multicenter study to establish hygiene facts related to dogs and men.European radiology · 2019Article
- Infection prevention and control in ultrasound - best practice recommendations from the European Society of Radiology Ultrasound Working Group.Insights into imaging · 2017Article
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Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesAim was to investigate hygienic conditions of ultrasound probes before and after hygiene training in radiology institutions in comparison to bacterial contamination in public places.
methodsIn three radiology departments, bacterial contamination was evaluated using baseline agar plates for cultures taken from 36 ultrasound probes. Afterwards teams were trained by a hygiene service centre and 36 ultrasound probes were routinely disinfected with regular disinfecting wipes and then evaluated. In comparison, bacterial contamination in public places (bus poles, n = 11; toilet seats, n = 10) were analysed. Plates were routinely incubated and the number of colony forming units (CFU) analysed.
resultsCultures taken from the probes showed a median of 53 CFU before and 0 CFU after training (p < 0.001). Cultures taken from public places showed a median of 4 CFU from toilets and 28 from bus poles and had lower bacterial load in comparison to ultrasound probes before training (p = 0.055, toilets; p = 0.772, bus poles), without statistical significance.
conclusionsBacterial contamination of ultrasound probes prior to hygiene training proved to be high and showed higher bacterial load than toilets seats or bus poles. Radiologists should be aware that the lack of hygiene in the field of ultrasound diagnostics puts patients at risk of healthcare-associated infections. KEY POINTS: • Hospital-associated infections are a problem for patient care. • Hygiene training of staff prevents bacterial contamination of ultrasound probes. • Disinfection of ultrasound probes is an easy method to protect patients.
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