A multicenter study on the effects of different methods of disinfecting medical external-use ultrasound probes

Microbial contamination of external-use ultrasound probes is a serious and overlooked issue. We assessed the effects of different methods of disinfecting medical external-use ultrasound probes. On-site disinfection experiments were conducted at 10 hospitals; the tips and sides of external-use ultrasound probes were sampled before and after disinfection, and 3 disinfection methods were assessed (use of a new ultraviolet (UV) ultrasound probe disinfector, wiping with ordinary paper towels or cleaning with disinfectant wipes). For the new UV probe disinfector, the median microbial death rates for the tips and sides of the external-use ultrasound probe were 93.67% and 97.50%, respectively, which were higher than those for wiping with paper towels and cleaning with disinfectant wipes (12.50% and 10.00% and 20.00% and 21.42%, respectively); the rates of microorganisms exceeding the standard were 15.0% and 13.3%, respectively, which were lower than those for wiping with paper towels and cleaning with disinfectant wipes (53.3% and 60.0% and 46.7% and 38.3%, respectively). The death rates of different species of microorganisms were high, ranging from 87.5% to 100%. The new UV ultrasound probe disinfector significantly reduced the risk of potential nosocomial infections according to the low microbial death rate for conventional disinfection methods. •Microbial contamination of external-use ultrasound probes is serious and overlooked.•Wiping with paper towels and cleaning with disinfectant wipes are two commonly used methods for cleaning and disinfecting external-use ultrasound probes.•The new ultraviolet ultrasound probe disinfector uses 280-nm ultraviolet rays to destroy the DNA or RNA of pathogens on the probe and block their replication and reproduction.•The new ultraviolet ultrasound probe disinfector could significantly reduce the risk of potential nosocomial infections due to the low microbial death rate for conventional disinfection methods.