Stinky Cuffs!

[Ivanna_Nurse, BSN, RN]

Goodmorning to all, I have a question for those who use NI BP cuffs in their unit...

What do you all use to cleanse/deodorize/disinfect cuffs between pt uses? I opened the drawer to get a smaller cuff for a pt, and whew! That sweaty arm smell was enough to blow me over... Sani-wipes just arent cutting it!

Thanks~ Ivanna :)

[AliRae]

We have disposable ones, so they get thrown out when the patient leaves or replaced for the same patient if they get that funky.

[Christie RN2006]

We wash our cuffs every time we give the pt a bath with just soap and water. We also use those sanitizing wipes on them between patients. Doing all that kills the smell.

[Indy, LPN, LVN]

Good old fashioned soap and water. I throw the cuff in the sink, put on some gloves, get the hand soap on the gloves, turn water on and wash the cuff like I'm doing laundry in the sink. It takes me a good 5 minutes to wash and rinse it well, and then I lay it on a towel to dry, which does take a while. Nothing beats actually washing it.

[RN BSN 2009]

Ewww.. stinky BO@

[Ivanna_Nurse, BSN, RN]

Thanks for the replies! I can really wash em with soap and water??? Yes! (let the scrubbing begin!) Ivanna

[Indy, LPN, LVN]

Oh, and with rectal probes. You know we don't have disposable ones, of course. It's a long coated wire that's just umm... rounded at the end, and the other end is the thing that plugs into the bedside monitor. Bleach degrades the coating or so I hear.

Those things get a soak in whatever that disinfecting soap is, in the form of a biohazard ziploc bag full of it, coil the wire up (the whole thing) and stuff it in there, seal it shut, shake it up a lot and leave it lying in the sink at least half the shift. Then when you're finished soaking, take it out and soap it up like I do the bp cuffs. Dry it off, let it air dry a day or two before trying to plug it back into anything. There is no way to get those things clean enough if you ask me. I really don't think it makes a difference that the end of it is gloved before I stick it in the nether regions; sometimes a pt. gets to lay on it for days. Ugh.