title: Pressure monitoring devices. Overlooked source of nosocomial infection.
abstract: Contaminated pressure monitoring devices recently have been implicated as a source of epidemic organisms in three outbreaks of nosocomial bacteremia, one outbreak of candidemia, and one outbreak of hepatitis. Measures necessary to prevent monitoring-related infections have not always been appreciated or taken. As a minimum, pressure monitoring devices should be sterilized between use with different patients; strict aseptic technique should be employed when setting up and using monitoring systems; and each patient's monitoring tubing, fluid, and monitoring devices should be changed at regular intervals.
mesh_terms: D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002404:Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000209:etiology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology*; D013242:Sterilization; D014159:Transducers