The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends reprocessing medical devices as a disinfection method. However, the FDA also reported that reprocessing may not completely eliminate the presence of pathogens in used medical devices.
Failure of reprocessing in some clinical settings may increase transmission of pathogenic organisms. Apart from the failure of reprocessing, some medical devices may be sensitive to disinfection methods such as heat, chemicals, etc. This article discusses the role of UV light disinfection of medical devices, including transesophageal echocardiography probes.
TEE probes current disinfection method
TEE probes fall into the category of semi-critical medical devices, and the American College of Emergency Physicians recommends using a single-use probe cover for single use and disinfecting the probe at a high level after each use. Using a single-use probe cover reduces the degree of microbial contamination during use.
These are the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for high-level decontamination:
- Clean the TEE probe immediately after use.
- Disinfect with a high level disinfectant for 20 minutes, the FDA-approved soaking time.
- After high-level disinfection, rinse with sterile, filtered water or tap water, followed by rinsing with alcohol.
Desinfection using UV-C devide
The UV-C disinfection process has more powerful sporicidal effects than high-performance disinfectants for disinfecting semi-critical devices such as TEE probes.
In a study comparing sporicidal efficacy between a UV-C device and three FDA-approved high-performance disinfectants, the researchers found that the UV disinfection process had greater sporicidal efficacy within a 35-second exposure. This indicates the effectiveness of UV disinfection even with a short exposure time.
Disinfecting TEE PROBES with the D60
Our UV Smart D60 can disinfect TEE probes in 60 seconds thanks to our patented Impelux technology. The D60 is registered with the FDA as a Class II medical device. It has been clinically validated to be effective against a broad spectrum of pathogenic organisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. Researchers at various health institutions and laboratories have discovered the efficacy of D60 against pathogenic microbes.
Eurofins' scientific laboratories, for example, determined that D60 met the criteria for high-level disinfection standards for the full spectrum of microorganisms.
For example, medical professionals at the Medical University Hospital of Ghent (BE) observed a marked decrease in the number of colony-forming units on TEE probes after disinfection with the D60.
Advantages of using the D60
Here are some of the benefits of disinfection with D60:
- Efficiency: Saves you time because disinfection is completed in 60 seconds.
- Saves energy: With power consumption of only 0.01 kWh per cycle, the D60 uses more than 30x less energy than an average disinfecting washer.
- No chemicals or water during the disinfection process.
- No damageon materials.
- Help more patients and reduce unnecessary rescheduling of patients due to shortage of TEE probes.
Summary
Use UV-C disinfection to disinfect your TEE probe and reduce the risk of transmitting pathogenic organisms in your healthcare facility. With the UV Smart D60, you can disinfect TEE probes in less than a minute. Not only is the D60 effective against various disease-causing organisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. It is also easy to use, saves time, energy and is cost effective.
Interested in the benefits of the UV Smart D60 for your own healthcare organization? Request a free demonstration or get in touch with one of our experts by filling out the following form .
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