At my facility we have been required to switch to single dose ultrasound gel packets for infection control reasons. This change was implemented a few months ago and is for our entire hospital for all procedures requiring a gel couplant. We are not thrilled with the change. As many of you probably do, we were refilling gel bottles from a gallon pump jug and happy doing so. Only a few single dose ultrasound gel options are available for the proper amount needed for OB scanning. Some patients would require 2-3 packets. The first one we tried was too thick (like cement) and right away we noticed a difference (increase) in our scanning discomfort. On average we scan 8-10 OB patients a day, many of which are obese. We also would swear that the image quality was compromised. Apparently there are studies out there that have proven that there is no significant difference in image quality among the different ultrasound gels - we disagree….

I did a little research on the subject and will share some info taken from a publication put out by SONOTECH, INC (www.sonotech-inc.com).

• hospital infection control specialists and epidemiologists are identifying a contamination potential in the use of squeeze bottles and the practice of refilling bottles of ultrasound gel
• nosocomial infections are caused by viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens
• the use of ultrasound gel bottles and bottle refilling practices can be a source of nosocomial infections and patient cross-contamination
• warming and re-warming bottles that have cooled to room temperature can incubate bacteria
• bottles and gel contents are exposed to environmental air, patient skin, or body fluids can become contaminated with a wide range of pathogens that can be transmitted to another patient during a subsequent procedure
• use of single packets eliminates the repetitive motion of bottle squeezing and shaking which adds to work-related musculoskeletal disorders in sonography

I am curious how many of you out there have converted to the single dose ultrasound couplant and how is it going? What brand do you use?

Also to the AIUM accreditation department, I am curious as to whether this may soon be a requirement for practice accreditation???

Thanks,

Lisa