Decontamination of stethoscope membranes with chlorhexidine: Should it be recommended?

Am J Infect Control

Division of Health Sciences, Universidad de Guanajuato, León, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Published: November 2016

AI Article Synopsis

  • The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of cleaning stethoscope membranes with chlorhexidine, triclosan, and alcohol in preventing bacterial recontamination.
  • A controlled trial involved culturing stethoscope membranes after different disinfecting methods and normal usage, revealing that chlorhexidine was notably effective in keeping bacterial levels low after four hours.
  • The results suggest that using chlorhexidine may be a better option for preventing cross-infection compared to other disinfectants like triclosan and alcohol.

Article Abstract

Objective: To determine differences in the recontamination of stethoscope membranes after cleaning with chlorhexidine, triclosan, or alcohol.

Methods: Experimental, controlled, blinded trial to determine differences in the bacterial load on stethoscope membranes. Membranes were cultured by direct imprint after disinfection with 70% isopropyl alcohol, 1% triclosan, or 1% chlorhexidine and normal use for 4 hours. As a baseline and an immediate effect control, bacterial load of membranes without disinfection and after 1 minute of disinfection with isopropyl alcohol was determined as well.

Results: Three hundred seventy cultures of in-use stethoscopes were taken, 74 from each arm. In the baseline arm the median growth was 10 CFU (interquartile range [IQR], 32-42 CFU); meanwhile, in the isopropyl alcohol immediate-effect arm it was 0 CFU (IQR, 0-0 CFU). In the arms cultured after 4 hours, a median growth of 8 CFU (IQR, 1-28 CFU) in the isopropyl alcohol arm, 4 CFU (IQR, 0-17 CFU) in the triclosan arm, and 0 CFU (IQR, 0-1 CFU) in the chlorhexidine arm were seen. No significant differences were observed between the bacterial load of the chlorhexidine arm (after 4 hours of use) and that of the isopropyl alcohol arm (after 1 minute without use) (Z= 2.41; P > .05).

Conclusions: Chlorhexidine can inhibit recontamination of stethoscope membranes and its use could help avoid cross-infection.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2016.07.012DOI Listing

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