Ultrasound probes
Oct 23, 2023
Ultrasound is great for helping anaesthetists find veins, arteries and nerves. 👏👏
What does the assistant need to know about the probes? 🤔
👉🏻 Which probe is best?
Vascular access and nerve blocks are suited to a LINEAR, HIGH FREQUENCY probe. This means it has a flat surface and will have a number ranging from 10 to 16 Mhz.
👉🏻 Do I need a sterile cover?
That’s the million dollar question! Always check your local guidelines, however, ultrasound procedures can be divided into 3 categories:
1️⃣ Non-critical (only touching completely intact, healthy skin)
2️⃣ Semi-critical (may contact broken skin, blood or mucous membranes)
3️⃣ Critical (enters sterile body cavities)
This determines how the probe should be protected, cleaned and sterilised. Semi-critical and critical procedures should involve a sterile probe cover, your hospital may also mandate probe covers for non-critical procedures – make sure you check!
👉🏻 How do I clean it?
1️⃣ Use a dry cloth to remove gel & debris
2️⃣ Clean the probe and cable with a detergent solution that is approved by the manufacturer
3️⃣ Send for high-level disinfection if indicated
Check out @the_anzca guidelines on infection control for more information. You can find it in the educational links in our bio. 🤓 (Please note: this image is a demonstration only without actual needling of skin)
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