How to Minimize the Risk of Nosocomial Infections With Mobile Suction Pumps

Healthcare professionals everywhere are fighting a merciless battle. The enemy is antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Nosocomial infections, like MRSA, are becoming increasingly resistant and scientists are desperately searching for solutions. 

Now is the time to get tough on preventing nosocomial infections. As quality standards continue to rise, mobile suctions pumps are purposefully designed to spread confidence, not infection.

 

Medela surgical suction Dominant Flex in use

Healthcare professionals everywhere are fighting a merciless battle.The enemy is antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Healthcare professionals everywhere are fighting a merciless battle.

The enemy is antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Nosocomial infections, like MRSA, are becoming increasingly resistant and scientists are desperately searching for solutions. They’re experimenting with a wide range of interventions—from wavelengths of UV light to phages.

Researchers estimate that 1.7 million healthcare-associated infections occur each year, adding up to a staggering cost of $45 billion.1 As we can’t rely on antibiotics to fight back, it’s becoming more evident that the best way to fight infections is to avoid costly consequences of HAI's.

 

An unnoticed culprit

While healthcare providers (and even many caregivers) are well aware that improperly designed and/or improperly disinfected instruments can be breeding grounds for superbugs, another area isn’t getting as much attention as it deserves: central vacuum systems.

Wall suction regulators have been identified as potential reservoirs for nosocomial pathogens.1 This introduces the risk of contaminants from one patient spreading from a regulator to a wall-side canister and then onto another patient. Pipelines can be another source of contamination, making these systems a serious threat to infection control.

Central vacuum systems need to be shut down from time to time for maintenance, regardless of whether serious contamination is present or detected.

In the study, Suction Regulators: A Potential Vector for Hospital-Acquired Pathogens, Keith S Kaye, MD, MPH, et al, found that 37% of suction regulators were colonized (among 470 randomly sampled suction regulators from the ICUs of 11 medical facilities in 5 states).2

And as an added operational concern, central vacuum systems need to be shut down from time to time for maintenance, regardless of whether serious contamination is present or detected.

Raising the standard, by design

Medela’s portfolio of mobile suction pumps is designed for easy cleaning, hygiene and maintenance, which supports better infection control.

  • With central vacuum systems, cleaning is a complicated and time-consuming process. It is easy, however, with Medela mobile suction pumps. In case of contamination, only one pump is affected, not the entire system.
  • Cleaning for wall suction can only be done by experienced staff. But cleaning a Medela mobile pump can be done by anyone. They are built without gaps or grooves, so they’re much less vulnerable to potential contamination. With rounded and modular designs, soft edges, and CleanTouch on/off buttons, routine cleaning is both quick and highly effective.
  • They’re tough enough to handle some of the most potent disinfection agents. In a functionality study, there was no visual defect on the housing after cleansing with 1,000 disinfectant wipes, and no visual defect on the print after cleansing with 10,000 disinfectant wipes.3

Medela mobile suction portfolio offers operational advantages over wall systems

- Peace of mind.

- Multiple use locations.

- Powerful and constant vacuum flow rates.

- Includes battery-operated pumps.

Quiet, powerful, and easily transportable, the Medela portfolio also offers operational advantages over wall systems:

  • They provide peace of mind, since medical emergencies can happen anywhere—even in places not equipped for wall suction regulators. This means easy application in endoscopy towers, at the patient’s bedside, on a crash cart, and more.
  • They’re nimble enough to be used in a multitude of locations, such as hospitals, surgery centers, clinics, care centers for the elderly (e.g. Vario), and doctors’ offices.
  • They ramp up in seconds and provide powerful and constant vacuum flow rates.
  • The portfolio includes battery-operated pumps, making them perfect for patient transfers, and providing unbroken care in the event of a power outage.

 

Spread confidence, not infection

Now is the time to get tough on preventing nosocomial infections. If you’re looking for a reliable mobile suction pump, consider exploring the Medela portfolio. As quality standards continue to rise, these pumps are purposefully designed to spread confidence, not infection.

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References

1 Tsai DM, Caterson EJ. Current preventive measures for health-care associated surgical site infections: a review. Patient Saf Surg 2014;8:42.

2 Kaye KS, Marchaim D, Smialowicz C, et al. Suction Regulators: A Potential Vector for Hospital-Acquired Pathogens. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2010;31(7):772–4.

3 Verification of Functionality, Medela data on file.