Equipment, Infection Control, and Safety
Steven Ginsberg and Jonathan Kraidin
I am talking TEE, not TTE. It’s not ultrasound to find some flounder or neck vein!
The Good: Safety First
Latex: the skin of the probe should be latex free.
Set up an Echo Service
The Echo probes are expensive and fragile $$$$$
Before you make the investment or get new equipment (10–15 years) make sure these are in place:
Who maintains the machine onsite?
What is the actual cleaning process?
Where do you keep the probes prior to insertion into the patient?
Where do you place the dirty probe?
Who fixes a problem with the machine?
Who regularly will reboot this electronic monster?
The Ugly (Bad Will Come Later): Cleaning—You Need a System
What should we do with the probe to have it ready for the next case?
Have you considered cleaning it?
But there is lots of schmutz (not schmaltz) on this thing.
Place a plastic cover over the tip of the probe until it is in use.
