Avoiding Cuff Cross-Contamination

A recent article in AARP Bulletin Today addressing the problem with the spread of infection on multiple surfaces in hospitals cited research conducted at Case Western Reserve and the Cleveland VA Medical Center which found that “after routine cleaning at a hospital, 78 percent of surfaces were still contaminated.”

The article went on to reference another study that reported that 39 percent of medical personnel didn’t know that hospital borne infections like C. diff (Clostridium difficile) could be spread on stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs and other equipment.

The Solution: Welch Allyn FlexiPort
One way to truly reduce the risk of cross-contamination associated with products like reusable blood pressure cuffs is to standardize on Welch Allyn’s new FlexiPort® disposable cuffs. With FlexiPort, one cuff can travel with each patient from room to room, floor to floor, and department to department—you can use one cuff with many devices, not many patients.

Learn More.

Clinical Studies on Cross-Contamination

	Blood Pressure Cuff as a Potential Vector of Pathogenic Microorganisms: A Prospective Study in a Teaching Hospital
	Prevention of Cross Transmission of Microorganisms Is Essential to Preventing Outbreaks of Hospital-Acquired Infections
	The Case of the Bloody Cuff
	Significant Bacterial Colonization on the Surface of Non-Disposable Sphygmomanometer Cuffs and Re-Used Disposable Cuffs
	Longitudinal Evaluation of Neonatal Nosocomial Infections: Association of Infection with a Blood Pressure Cuff
	Nondisposable Sphygmomanometer Cuffs Harbor Frequent Bacterial Colonization and Significant Contamination by Organic and Inorganic Matter
	The Microbial Flora of In-Use Blood Pressure Cuffs