Surveys have shown that neonatal infection deaths account for 52% of all deaths in outbreaks of hospital-acquired infections in some countries. In turn, infant incubators are one of the most commonly used equipment in neonatal intensive care units; therefore, incubator infections are an important factor in neonatal infections.
What are all the infection hazards of theincubators?
1. Air filter
Unclean air filter will increase the concentration of carbon dioxide in the box and induce respiratory diseases.
2. Air input tube, air inlet and outlet, wind wheel, heater, sensor
Easy to generate static electricity, the dust in the circulation is easy to fall on these parts, with the air circulation, leading to newborn infection.
3. Water reservoir
The water storage tank is the most likely place to breed bacteria. After use should be soaked in disinfectant for half an hour to thoroughly clean all surfaces and recesses of the sink.
4. Mattress
If there are small holes or ruptures in the mattress, there will be dirt seeping into the sponge, which can easily lead to skin infections or induce mold infections.
So, how to avoid the "incubator" to become the "culprit" of hospital-acquired infections in newborns?
The answer is: pay attention to cleaning and disinfection! Regulating cleaning and disinfection!
Baby incubator cleaning and disinfection points:
A. Daily Cleaning and Disinfection:
1. The incubator in use should be cleaned and disinfected daily, and cleaned and disinfected at any time in case of contamination.
2. The inner surface should be wiped with water and no disinfectant should be used.
3. The most important factor for neonatal infection is the hands of medical personnel. Therefore, it is vital to strengthen the hand hygiene of medical personnel!
4. The external surface is recommended to be cleaned and disinfected with low and medium effect disinfectants and wet wiped 1~2 times daily; disinfectant wipes can be used when there is no obvious visible contamination.
5. Strictly follow the unitized cleaning principle when cleaning and disinfecting.
6. The infant incubator in use should indicate the start date of use.
7. Establish daily cleaning and disinfection and use records of incubators.
B. Terminal Disinfection
1. Adequate incubators should be equipped for turnover.
2. When the same child is used continuously for a long time, the incubator should be emptied and replaced every week, and the emptied incubator should be disinfected at the end.
3. After the child is discharged from the hospital, the incubator used by the child should be disinfected at the end of the incubator.
4.Terminal disinfection should be performed in the cleaning and disinfection room or other open area (not in the hospital room) to avoid contamination of the surrounding environment and objects.
5. During terminal disinfection, all parts of the incubator should be disassembled to the minimum in order to achieve the purpose of "thorough" cleaning and disinfection.
6. Do not miss the cleaning and disinfection of the fan and filter during the final disinfection. The filter should not be rubbed. Fans should be thoroughly scrubbed with a special brush.
7. Choose medium or high level disinfectant for terminal disinfection and rinse thoroughly with water after disinfection to remove disinfectant residue.
8. Spare incubators should indicate the date of cleaning and disinfection, expiration date, name of cleaning and disinfection personnel and name of inspector.
9. After cleaning and disinfection, the spare incubator should be placed in the auxiliary area. If the incubator in spare is contaminated, it should be cleaned and disinfected again.
To do a good job of cleaning and disinfecting the incubator, you must be familiar with and understand its components, and carefully follow the disinfection guidelines in the product manual. (Take MeCan's product MCG0003 as an example)
