Intracavitary Probe Cleaning
A reminder that we have a new, simplified workflow for cleaning the intracavitary (vaginal) probes on the ultrasound machines:
1. When you are finished using the probe, remove the condom cover and wipe the probe down with a paper towel and T-Spray II.
2. Tell the ED tech covering your zone:
A) The probe needs to be cleaned
AND
B) The patient it was used on (they need the patient info for their log book- very important)
3. The tech will then take the ENTIRE machine to the dirty utility room in East Zone so the probe can undergo high level disinfection. They will NO LONGER remove the probe from the machine. They will wipe down the entire machine while it is there. When the cleaning cycle is complete, the probe will be covered with a blue bag and the entire machine will be returned to its proper room.
The big change is the probes will not be removed from the machines. No more lost probes, no more tackle boxes.
Again, the corollary to this protocol is NO ONE should EVER remove the probes from the machines. That is the main reason why they get lost or break.
Thanks, and please contact me with questions or issues.
Bret
