How clean are our stethoscopes and do we need to clean them?

Journal of Infection

Volumn 57, Issue 4, 2008, Pages 355-356

  Bandi, Srinivas ^a   Uddin, Luthfunnesa ^a   Milward, Kathryn ^a   Aliyu, Sani ^a   Makwana, Niten ^a  

^a SANDWELL GENERAL HOSPITAL   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

2 PROPANOL;

BACTERIAL COLONIZATION; BACTERIAL GROWTH; BACTERIUM CULTURE; CLEANING; COLONY FORMING UNIT; CONTAMINATION; DISINFECTION; HOSPITAL HYGIENE; HOSPITAL INFECTION; LETTER; NONHUMAN; PREVALENCE; STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS; STETHOSCOPE;

AGAR; BACTERIA; BACTERIOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES; COLONY COUNT, MICROBIAL; CROSS INFECTION; CULTURE MEDIA; DISINFECTION; EQUIPMENT CONTAMINATION; HOSPITAL UNITS; HUMANS; PEDIATRICS; STETHOSCOPES;

EID: 53249121474     PISSN: 01634453     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2008.07.018     Document Type: Letter

References (6)

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2. Breatnach A.S., Jenkins D.R., and Pedler S.J. Stethoscopes as possible vectors of infection by staphylococci. BMJ 305 (1992) 1573-1574
3. Smith M.A., Mathewson J.J., Ulert A., Scerpella G.E., and Ericsson C.D. Contaminated stethoscopes revisited. Arch Intern Med 156 (1996) 82-84
4. Cohen H.A., Amir J., Matalon A., Mayan R., Beni S., and Barzilai A. Stethoscopes and otoscopes - a potential vector of infection?. Fam Pract 14 (1997) 446-449
5. Stethoscopes and infection control: a study into the use of stethoscopes in a paediatric ward and their possible contamination. J Child Health Care 7 2 (2003 Jun) 142-143
6. Marinella M.A., Pierson C., and Chenoweth C. The stethoscope. A potential source of nosocomial infection?. Arch Intern Med 157 (1997) 786-790