title: Cleanliness of disposable vs nondisposable electrocardiography lead wires in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mediastinitis costs hospitals thousands of dollars a year and increases the incidence of patient morbidity and mortality. No studies have been done to evaluate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) counts on disposable and nondisposable electrocardiography (ECG) lead wires in pediatric patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare the cleanliness of disposable and nondisposable ECG lead wires in postoperative pediatric cardiac surgery patients by measuring the quantity of ATP (in relative luminescence units [RLUs]). ATP levels correlate with microbial cell counts and are used by institutions to assess hospital equipment and cleanliness.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, randomized trial was initiated with approval from the institutional review board. Verbal consent was obtained from the parents/guardians for each patient. Trained nurses performed ATP swabs on the right and left upper ECG cables on postoperative days 1, 2, and 3.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This study enrolled 51 patients. The disposable ECG lead wire ATP count on postoperative day 1 (median, 157 RLUs) was significantly lower (P < .001) than the count for nondisposable ATP lead wires (median, 610 RLUs). On postoperative day 2, the ATP count for the disposable ECG lead wires (median, 200 RLUs) was also lower (P = .06) than the count for the nondisposable ECG lead wires (median, 453 RLUs).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results of this study support the use of disposable ECG lead wires in postoperative pediatric cardiac surgery patients for at least the first 48 hours as a direct strategy to reduce the ATP counts on ECG lead wires.
authors.affiliation: Nancy Addison is a research nurse clinician in the pediatric intensive care unit, Beth Quatrara is director and Lisa Letzkus is assistant director of nursing research for the medical center, David Strider is a nurse practitioner at the medical center, Virginia Rovnyak is a statistician at the school of nursing, and Virginia Syptak and Lisa Fuzy are nurse clinicians in the pediatric intensive care unit. All are employed at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville. nkg2x@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Addison
authors.affiliation: Nancy Addison is a research nurse clinician in the pediatric intensive care unit, Beth Quatrara is director and Lisa Letzkus is assistant director of nursing research for the medical center, David Strider is a nurse practitioner at the medical center, Virginia Rovnyak is a statistician at the school of nursing, and Virginia Syptak and Lisa Fuzy are nurse clinicians in the pediatric intensive care unit. All are employed at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville.
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Quatrara
authors.affiliation: Nancy Addison is a research nurse clinician in the pediatric intensive care unit, Beth Quatrara is director and Lisa Letzkus is assistant director of nursing research for the medical center, David Strider is a nurse practitioner at the medical center, Virginia Rovnyak is a statistician at the school of nursing, and Virginia Syptak and Lisa Fuzy are nurse clinicians in the pediatric intensive care unit. All are employed at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Letzkus
authors.affiliation: Nancy Addison is a research nurse clinician in the pediatric intensive care unit, Beth Quatrara is director and Lisa Letzkus is assistant director of nursing research for the medical center, David Strider is a nurse practitioner at the medical center, Virginia Rovnyak is a statistician at the school of nursing, and Virginia Syptak and Lisa Fuzy are nurse clinicians in the pediatric intensive care unit. All are employed at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Strider
authors.affiliation: Nancy Addison is a research nurse clinician in the pediatric intensive care unit, Beth Quatrara is director and Lisa Letzkus is assistant director of nursing research for the medical center, David Strider is a nurse practitioner at the medical center, Virginia Rovnyak is a statistician at the school of nursing, and Virginia Syptak and Lisa Fuzy are nurse clinicians in the pediatric intensive care unit. All are employed at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rovnyak
authors.affiliation: Nancy Addison is a research nurse clinician in the pediatric intensive care unit, Beth Quatrara is director and Lisa Letzkus is assistant director of nursing research for the medical center, David Strider is a nurse practitioner at the medical center, Virginia Rovnyak is a statistician at the school of nursing, and Virginia Syptak and Lisa Fuzy are nurse clinicians in the pediatric intensive care unit. All are employed at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Syptak
authors.affiliation: Nancy Addison is a research nurse clinician in the pediatric intensive care unit, Beth Quatrara is director and Lisa Letzkus is assistant director of nursing research for the medical center, David Strider is a nurse practitioner at the medical center, Virginia Rovnyak is a statistician at the school of nursing, and Virginia Syptak and Lisa Fuzy are nurse clinicians in the pediatric intensive care unit. All are employed at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fuzy
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000032:analysis*; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control; D004209:Disposable Equipment / Q000382:microbiology*; D004389:Durable Medical Equipment / Q000382:microbiology*; D004559:Electric Wiring / Q000382:microbiology*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D017743:Equipment Reuse; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D061214:Patient Safety; D011446:Prospective Studies; D056346:Sternotomy; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate