Although procedures involving transesophageal (TOE) ultrasound probes are associated with a low rate of patient infection, they can be a potential source of infection from contaminated equipment.
Erica Taube PhD discusses best practice in reprocessing these medical devices to ensure patient safety.
Transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE*) consists of passing a probe containing an ultrasound transducer at its tip into a patient’s oesophagus. Because the oesophagus is so close to the heart, very clear images of heart structures, valves and arteries can be obtained. It is used during cardiac surgery for diagnostic, monitoring and treatment, providing life-saving applications in critical and emergency care.1
In the context of COVID-19, the risk of contamination of equipment and personnel is very high during TOE procedures due to droplets and aerosols containing virus. Although data on the efficacy against SARSCoV-2 are currently not available, most coronaviruses are inactivated by disinfectants validated according to EN 14476.2
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