Work

Manual reprocessing of endovaginal and transrectal ultrasonography probes: evaluation of a wipe procedure in comparison with an immersion procedure

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the cleaning performance and disinfection efficacy of a validated manual wipe-based reprocessing procedure for endocavitary ultrasound probes under realistic worst-case conditions. METHODS: Used transvaginal and transrectal ultrasound probes were artificially contaminated with interfering substances (ultrasound gel, mucin and protein soil) and test organisms (Enterococcus hirae, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Simian Virus 40 [SV40] as a surrogate for human papillomavirus [HPV]). Effectiveness of the cleaning procedure with ready-to-use wipes was evaluated using protein quantification and total organic carbon (TOC) analysis. For disinfection testing, the full two-step protocol (cleaning followed by disinfection) was applied and microbial reduction was measured on defined probe test fields. RESULTS: , respectively. The combined cleaning and disinfection procedure achieved reproducible microbial reductions above the log reductions required according to the European Standard EN 14485 for all tested organisms, including complete inactivation of SV40 as an HPV surrogate, confirming bactericidal, yeasticidal and virucidal efficacy. The method proved reproducible across multiple individual users and all test runs. CONCLUSION: Manual wipe-based reprocessing can achieve reproducible and validatable disinfection of transvaginal and transrectal ultrasound probes for the complete probe surface, including difficult-to-access niches, is effectively cleaned and training and validation requirements are met. The method may serve as a practical alternative in settings where automated or immersion-based reprocessing is not feasible.

Source: Journal of Hospital Infection

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2025.11.023