Infection control in anaesthesia in regional, tertiary and central hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal. Part 3: Decontamination practices

Guidelines for infection control and prevention in anaesthesia in South Africa

“…The reinforcement of the basic tenets of infection control has been called for, as well as the need for a national guideline to prevent HAIs. [4][5][6][7] Health care in South Africa encounters different challenges to those of many other countries. In addition, different regions face unique challenges in South Africa.…”

“…This must be coupled with monitoring and regular auditing of infection control practice to guard against apathy and poor compliance among staff. 7 • Teaching and training programmes in the practice of anaesthesia should integrate and promote infection control practices as a fundamental part of the curriculum and the speciality. 5 • Staff outside the theatre suite dealing with "anaesthetic" equipment, such as laryngoscopes and self-inflating resuscitation devices, need guidance on their decontamination.…”

“…6 Staff from 11 of the 15 studied hospitals claimed that the blades were decontaminated by HLD. 7 If inanimate objects become contaminated with hepatitis B virus and are not appropriately decontaminated, these objects may contribute to disease transmission for periods of up to one week and possibly longer. 88 Hepatitis C has been shown to retain infectivity for several days at room temperature.…”

A survey of propofol injection practices reveals poor knowledge of and unsatisfactory adherence to the SASA Guidelines for Infection Control

“…36 Recently a survey among 91 anaesthetists working in 15 hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal revealed that unsafe injection practices were common. 37 The primary objectives of this study were: (1) To ascertain propofol injection practices among South African anaesthetists regarding the risk of infection transmission by means of a survey; (2) To determine the influence of the SASA Guidelines for Infection Control in Anaesthesia in South Africa 2014 (SASA Guidelines) on the propofol injection practices of SA anaesthetists. Secondary objectives were: (a) To determine whether propofol injection practices differed according to level of training (registered specialist vs. non-specialist), sector employed (private vs. public) and gender; (b) To estimate the prevalence of target-controlled infusions (TCI) among SA anaesthetists.…”

“…1,2 Propofol, being dissolved in a lipid emulsion of soya bean oil, glycerol and egg lecithin, is capable of supporting rapid bacterial and fungal growth [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] as well as promoting endotoxin production. 3 Furthermore, stability of hepatitis C virus in propofol has been demonstrated.…”