Prevention of Pathogen Transmission During Ultrasound Use in the ICU

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The Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM) and the Australasian College for Infection Prevention Control (ACIPC) published guidelines on minimum standards for reprocessing/cleaning of ultrasound transducers in 2017 to further regulate the framework relevant to the practice of ultrasonography for all medical specialities in Australia and New Zealand.

This purpose of this document is to adapt and expand the 2017 ASUM/ACIPC guidelines to the specifics of intensive care medicine and provide advice to the ICU practitioners and health care administrators.

It considers the medical, administrative, financial and practical controversies surrounding implementation, and addresses emerging issues of care for patients with confirmed or suspected Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19).

ICU ultrasonography constitutes important part of modern standards of care, but infection control and prevention remain inadequate.

Immediate wide implementation of 2017 ASUM/ACIPC recommendations and these specific ICU guidelines is necessary to support critical care services and prevent avoidable iatrogenic risk, especially during current SARS-CoV2 pandemic.

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