In caring for patients with COVID-19, ultrasound can be used for:

• Lung ultrasound – monitoring fluid accumulation in the lungs due to COVID-19 and assessment of pneumothorax (associated with extended-duration ventilation).
• Transthoracic echocardiography – assessing cardiac function as a complication of COVID-19
• Ultrasound guided thoracentesis – guidance of needle to drain fluid from the lungs in cases of pleural effusion.
• Ultrasound guided vascular access – guiding placement of vascular access devices for delivery of therapeutics.

As ultrasound is such a widely used tool, patients with COVID-19 may also need more general medical care that would involve ultrasound.

Managing infection risk from ultrasound

During use, ultrasound probes may become contaminated with pathogens including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19.

Proper disinfection of reusable medical devices is important to reduce the risk of transmission to other patients and to healthcare workers.

Automated High-Level Disinfection (HLD) gives you confidence

When managing the use of ultrasound with COVID-19 patients, an automated system delivers consistent reprocessing efficacy allowing you to focus on critical clinical tasks.

Automated High-Level Disinfection (HLD) with trophon®2 technology delivers:

• The confidence of high-level disinfection efficacy in less than 2 minutes hands on time.
• A validated process with defined performance measures
• Automated management of critical parameters (contact time, temperature, concentration)
• Full coverage of ultrasound probe head and handle
• Independent cycle verification through the chemical indicator
• Deployment at point of care, reducing complexity and streamlining clinical workflow

trophon2 technology and SARS-CoV-2

Coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 fall into the category of enveloped viruses. According to the Spaulding classification, enveloped viruses are the most sensitive group of pathogens to inactivation by disinfectants^[1]
As a high level disinfection system, trophon2 inactivates^[2]

• Enveloped and non-enveloped viruses
• Vegetative bacteria
• Fungi
• Mycobacteria

Given that SARS-CoV-2 is a new enveloped virus and has only just emerged, trophon2 devices have not been tested directly against SARS-CoV-2.

trophon2 technology is the global standard in ultrasound reprocessing.

With over 24,000 trophon devices in major healthcare institutions, hospitals and clinics across the world, every day more than over 70,000 patients are protected from the risk of cross contamination because their probe has been decontaminated using trophon.

A trophon2 device representative an help you ensure your patients are protected against the spread of SARS-CoV-2

Click here to arrange a call back from a trophon2 device representative

References

1. CDC 2008. Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities
2. Nanosonics Microefficacy Brochure 2019. Sourced at https://www.nanosonics.com.au/clinical/microbial-efficacy/