Preventing Transmission of Infectious Diseases

Abstract

Abstract This chapter focuses on preventing the spread of infectious disease during anesthesia care. In the health care setting, pathogens are most commonly spread by contact, airborne, or blood-borne means. Contaminated hands often are a means of contact spread. Timely and effective hand hygiene is the single most important practice to reduce the spread of infectious disease in health care settings. Inadequate cleaning and disinfection of reusable anesthesia equipment has led to outbreaks. Cleaning is an important and essential first step. Devices that contact sterile tissues require sterilization. Semicritical items contact mucous membranes and require reprocessing by high-level disinfection. Noncritical devices contact intact skin; their reuse requires application of low- or intermediate-level disinfectants. In the anesthesia work area, the most common source for pathogens transmitted by contact is an infected or colonized patient. The anesthesia work space provides many opportunities to apply infection prevention practices. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend routine sterilization or disinfection of the internal components of the anesthesia machine. Blood-borne infectious disease transmission in health care settings has been associated with the improper use of injection equipment. Outbreaks were the result of either reusing a syringe or needle between patients or reusing a syringe or needle to access a medication or fluid container that was subsequently reused. Diseases spread by airborne droplet nuclei are considered highly transmissible and can travel for relatively long distances. Patients with known or suspected infection with airborne pathogens require specially designed facilities, equipment, and practices.