As infection control efforts in hospitals and other healthcare settings are strengthened, healthcare workers are turning to disposable medical products as a way to ensure staff and patient safety. Nosocomial infection is an infection caused by treatment at a hospital or other medical institution. Hospital-related infections are a serious problem for patients and the medical industry. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has 1.7 million hospital-related infections annually and approximates that nearly 100,000 people died in the United States. Hospitals, clinics, doctors' offices are looking for ways to reduce these tragic statistics. Disposable medical supplies are essential elements for improving patient safety.
Autoclave
Before disposable medical products became widely available, healthcare providers sterilized all devices depending on the autoclave. The autoclave uses high heat and strong pressure to sterilize the product. Autoclaves have been in use for over 100 years and are generally very effective. Autoclave is an important part of equipment in hospitals and many other medical facilities.
Unfortunately, autoclaving is not always complete, and medical products may not have been sterilized after autoclaving in fact. Some plastics melt, so they can not be autoclaved. In addition, autoclave sterilization kills viruses, bacteria and fungi, but it is not effective against prions that cause diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and mad cow disease. Even when autoclave sterilization works well, it takes time and effort to operate the autoclave. Autoclaves are still used in hospitals, labs, and tattoo parlors to sterilize non-disposable devices. However, expendable items that can be used in disposable form are strictly safe and easy to use.
If you reuse items such as face mask, syringe, scalpel, etc., you can spread infection from one patient to another. As many patients in the hospital weaken the immune system, the risk of cross contamination is particularly high. Hospital officials also risk exposing them to infection when handling or cleaning used medical supplies.
Since disposable medical devices are intended for use by a single patient, there is no danger of spreading the infection. For example, if a patient needs an IV to refill the lost body fluid, the procedure can be safely performed using only disposable medical supplies. All products used for stylets, catheters, tubes and IV bags from tourniquets, alcohol swabs and gauze are disposable medical products with no risk of transmitting the infection from different patients by different patients or health care workers.
Sterile disposable medical products
Many disposable medical products are sterilized and individually packaged to provide maximum patient protection. These disposable medical supplies are especially important for patients with impaired immune system. In such cases, if infection control is a top priority, medical staff need to use aseptic disposable medical products whenever possible. For example, if a nurse needs patient's temperature, a sealed disposable thermometer is a better choice than an electric thermometer used by other patients. All catheters, bandages, applicators, tubing, syringes etc. can be used as sterile disposable medical supplies.
Personal protection
Medical professionals need to take great precautions to protect their health. They may be exposed to many pathogens everyday and appropriate protective equipment is the best way for safety. To keep doctors, nurses, and EMT safe from infection, disposable medical supplies are essential. One of the most important safety products is disposable gloves. Healthcare workers are always wearing gloves and must be replaced repeatedly. Disposable gloves are available in latex or non-latex, with color and size ranges. Other disposable medical products indispensable for personal protection include facial masks, protective eyewear, respiratory equipment, gowns, aprons and caps.
