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2007 ICU Decontamination Guidelines (61 kB) |
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Page updated 30 April 2007
To be used in conjunction with the general Disinfection Guidelines. For blood and body fluid spillages, please follow the Spillage Guidelines .
| Equipment | Key | Comment or alternative methods of treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Blood Pressure cuffs | GPD , SU | Wash and dry between patient or use disposable cuff per patient. Use covers or send to the laundry |
| ECG Monitors | GPD | Damp dust daily and between patients. |
| Electrode leads | GPD | Clean between patients |
| GENERAL CLEANING | ||
| Horizontal Surfaces, e.g. Ledges, tops of bed rails, radiators, equipment rails | GPD | Damp dust with GPD and dry with paper towels daily and between patients.
Duties to be performed by domestic staff. |
| Walls | GPD | Wash with GPD between infected cases: MRSA, Group A Streptococcus, gentamicin-resistant coliforms; HIV HCVand HBV with overt blood spillage (See Spillage Guidelines). |
| HUMIDIFIERS | ||
| eg Cascade | GPD | Rarely used now. Wash and dry daily. |
| eg Aquapak | SU | Disposable units (e.g."Aquapaks") must be discarded when contaminated | INTRAVASCULAR DEVICES AND SUNDRY EQUIPMENT |
| LINES for intravenous/intra-arterial administration | SU | No traffic lights unless absolutely clinically indicated. Use Y-giving sets in preference to 3-way taps on IV infusions. All lines to be dated. Sites to be inspected twice a day as well as when giving infusion. |
| Peripheral Cannulae | SU | Date. Inspect daily and record as "not inflamed". Change at first sign of inflammation and preferably every 48h |
| Central Venous catheters | SU | Change intravenous lines at first sign of inflammation. Inspect daily and record "not inflamed". Railroading over infected lines is to be discouraged. |
| TPN catheters | SU | Should be dedicated for this purpose |
| Giving sets | SU | Change every 48 hours (24 hours for TPN). |
| Arterial lines | SU | Change all equipment every 48 hours (including bag and 3-way tap). |
| Infusion, feed and syringe pumps | GPD/ALC | Cleaned daily - wiped by the nursing staff. Wipe with alcohol wipe after if overtly contaminated by blood. |
| PROBES | ||
| Rectal and other probes (if used) | SU or sheath | Use disposable sheaths or wash clean in GPD followed by alcohol. Rinse and store dry. |
| Ultrasound | Sheath or ALC | COMMON USER EQUIPMENT |
| Stethoscopes | ALC | One per patient. Clean daily and between patients with alcohol wipes. Preferably should not be worn by the nurses or doctors and carried from patient to patient without cleaning. |
SUCTION EQUIPMENT |
| Wall Suction | SU | Use disposable units. Discard in approved container for incineration |
| Reservoir | GPD | Empty and clean and daily between patients |
| Tubing (patients to reservoir) | Changed daily and between patients | |
| Tubing (wall to reservoir) | GPD | Wiped daily. Date and change monthly. |
| Urine/drainage bags | SU | Should not require changing until catheter/drain changed. | VENTILATOR AND SUNDRY EQUIPMENT |
| Ventilators | GPD | Damp dust daily with GPD and dry with paper towels between patients.Internal operation:
Clean internal mechanisms every 2 weeks. Otherwise, dismantle and clean mechanism according to local policy. |
| SSD | N.B. disinfect internal parts in autoclave after, for example: pulmonary tuberculosis, resistant Gram-negative organisms in sputum or respiratory tracts, MRSA in the respiratory tract including nose swab, definitite fungal infection, Pneumocystis carinii, lobar and community-acquired pneumonia.
Removable parts can be autoclaved. |
|
| Ventilator Tubing | SU | Change between patients. For long-term patients, tubing dated and changed weekly. |
| "Rebreathe" bags | Changed weekly in long-term patients. Store clean and dry |
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