Does your hospital use disposable blood pressure cuffs?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Does the research support using disposable cuffs in the absence of infectious disease like MRSA?

Specializes in Critical care.

We use them. Technically our disinfectant wipes take 3 minutes to fully disinfect a surface and the surface has to be wet for the full 3 minutes. I did clinical in a place with reusable ones and you can't tell me they were thoroughly cleaned every time between patients- that Velcro area is almost impossible to clean. To me not cleaning the BP cuff is like not performing hand hygiene. I think it'll be interesting to hear what others chime in with.

Does the research support using disposable cuffs in the absence of infectious disease like MRSA?

Yes, every patient has their own cuff. I absolutely love it. I've never worked in a hospital that did it that way before now.

We use them, except when taking manual blood pressures. They don't connect to that machine.

One of our neighboring hospitals also has vitals machines in every room. I wish we would do that too. I worry that the pulse ox doesn't get wiped down between rooms. Also, all of the carts rattle going down the hallway and since I work nights I feel like I'm waking everyone up when I start vitals.

Specializes in Cardiac (adult), CC, Peds, MH/Substance.

There is a very large distinction between "in the absence of" and "without confirmation of." Which do you mean?

I work in the ED. We use disposable BP cuffs on traumas.

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
I work in the ED. We use disposable BP cuffs on traumas.

Just the cases that are bloody? Not all of them?

Specializes in NICU, RNC.

Yes, we use disposable cuffs on every patient.

We not only use them, we re-use them.

Yup.

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