Vol. VIII, No. 3Archive > March, 2007
Infection Control
Are You Reprocessing Laryngoscopes Correctly?
Chris Ekern, RN, and Karen Penn, RN
Sometimes, it's easy to forget that even non-invasive, easy-to-reprocess instruments can pose a cross-contamination and infection risk. A sobering example: After two premature babies died at White Memorial Medical Center in December, Los Angeles public health investigators linked their deaths to contaminated laryngoscope blades. In published reports, the California hospital said that the outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which sickened five other infants, was the result of a break in laryngoscope reprocessing protocol.
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