Mr Aryan Shahabi-sirjani1, Mr Andrew Gibb1, Dr Jonathan Burdach1
1Nanosonics, Macquarie Park, Australia
Ultrasound-guided procedures are diverse, and while some procedures only contact intact skin, others contact with broken skin or sterile tissue. As percutaneous procedures involve needle puncture of the skin, particular care must be taken to assess the infection risk and the reprocessing level required for the ultrasound probe.
If the probe contacts broken skin or sterile tissue during a percutaneous intervention, it is classified as a semi-critical or critical device according to the Spaulding Classification. Critical devices must undergo sterilisation or, if sterilisation is not possible, Australian and New Zealand standards permit high-level disinfection (HLD) with the use of a sterile sheath. Semi-critical probes must undergo HLD. Sheaths do not replace HLD on their own, as gouge marks on probes demonstrate that the needle can penetrate the sheath during percutaneous interventions.
Variables in the procedure type, patient, probe operator, and the clinical environment can all influence whether the ultrasound probe contacts the puncture site during a percutaneous procedure, and how the probe should be reprocessed according to the Spaulding classification.
Biography: Aryan is an infectious diseases clinical pharmacist, serving as global Medical Affairs Manager at Nanosonics. He has a breadth of experience in infection prevention and control, antimicrobial stewardship and clinical infectious diseases and microbiology.