AJR. American journal of roentgenology
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Jun 1995
CT in patients with blunt abdominal trauma: clinical significance of intraperitoneal fluid detected on a scan with otherwise normal findings.
The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical significance of intraperitoneal fluid seen on CT scans with otherwise normal findings in patients with blunt abdominal trauma. ⋯ Patients with blunt abdominal trauma who have small amounts of intraperitoneal fluid as the sole abnormality shown by CT may generally be treated conservatively. However, patients with even a small quantity of mesenteric fluid may benefit from peritoneal lavage to help exclude bowel or mesenteric injury. Intermediate and large amounts of fluid are less common as the sole CT abnormality but have a higher likelihood of being associated with bowel or mesenteric injury.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Jun 1995
Can ultrasound probes and coupling gel be a source of nosocomial infection in patients undergoing sonography? An in vivo and in vitro study.
At our institution, ultrasound probes are wiped with a clean, dry, soft, absorbent paper towel after each procedure as a basic standard of probe disinfection. However, it was unclear if this provided a sufficient level of decontamination. This study was designed to determine if the ultrasound probe and coupling gel can act as a vector of nosocomial infection and to describe a cost-effective method of probe handling that allows optimal control of infection. ⋯ Ultrasound probes that are wiped with a paper towel until they are visibly clean do not contribute to nosocomial infections. Additional antiseptic solutions such as Hibidil are not necessary. We suggest that probes be simply wiped with a clean, dry, nonsterile paper towel between procedures, including probes used on contaminated scanning fields, open wounds, and cutaneous infections. After the final procedure of the day, probes should be cleaned with a liquid cleaning solution such as Hibidil to remove all traces of coupling gel, which could support the overnight growth of bacteria. This would decontaminate the probes and prevent the overnight growth of bacteria. This method would be both a cost-effective and time-efficient protocol for controlling infection.