Contact transmission can occur between nasal cannula prongs and the patient environment.
Melissa Egts, Inventor
O2 FRESH
NASAL CANNULA COVER
Contaminants from mold and dust to viruses can potentially transfer onto medical oxygen tubing such as nasal cannula prongs upon contact with surfaces such as beds, chairs, doorknobs, floors, and oxygen flow meters.
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Nasal prongs tested positive on culture in this study from Journal of Hospital Infection.
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Infectious virus on nasal cannula prongs attributable to indirect contact transmission was found by a team who published in Scientific Reports.
In Clinical Infectious Disease, nasal cannula prongs tested positive for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
Preliminary results from experiments conducted at Baldwin Wallace University demonstrated contact transmission can occur between nasal cannula prongs and MRSA and that the organism survived for several days on the nasal cannula prongs after exposure. Additional experiments are ongoing between Hartfiel Medical and microbiologist Dr. Michael Kovach.
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The O2 FRESH nasal cannula cover keeps nasal cannula prongs from contacting fomites when taken off the patient's face. A fomite is an object or materials which are likely to carry infection.
"It is worth noting that many environmental swab samples contained MERS-CoV despite daily cleaning and disinfection of the patients' rooms."
"Once a fomite is contaminated, the transfer of infectious virus may readily occur between inanimate and animate objects, or vice versa, and between two separate fomites (if brought together)."
"Currently, laboratory studies, epidemiological evidence, and disinfection intervention studies have generated strong indirect and circumstantial evidence that supports the involvement of fomites as a vehicle in respiratory and enteric virus transmission.”
Off the floor and so much more...O2 FRESH is the new standard of care!
Plastic bags seal in moisture in which bacteria can grow. O2 FRESH cannula prong covers are ventilated.
A California State University study showed that putting nasal cannulas into ventilated storage, instead of a sealed plastic bag, "decreases the amount of bacteria and likely minimizes cross-contaminants and re-introduction of large numbers of bacteria in the nose."
