It seems a consistent leading headline these days in particular has been resonating across all media sources from print to social. The current visibility of “Super Bug’s” be it Ebola to the recent news involving endoscope sterilization inabilities related to drug resistant bacteria that has been linked to 100+ people in a western state. As a 21st century society, we have clearly advanced ourselves in the eradication and control of many infectious diseases or viruses, but it is again a grim reminder to just how powerful these “Super Bug’s” can evolve and create themselves.
These headline grabbing “Super Bug’s” bring a new visibility to an already ever present infection exposure hazard that HTM 
professionals potentially can and do encounter when coming in contact with the medical devices they service. Blood borne pathogens and other bodily fluids can and are ever present on the device’s surface and many times may have seeped within being discovered only when the covers are removed and the hazard become fully exposed.
The practice of universal precautions by the HTM service professional – that being any medical device encountered should be considered a potential exposure source to infection or bacteria and thus decontaminated. Using protective gloves and Cidex wipes or other hospital approved infection control cleaning fluids prior to the handling of the device should always be a standard practice. In addition, employing protective eye wear along with gloves when removing cases and covers of medical devices are personal protection equipment (PPE) tools that aid in encountering unseen hazards that many times lay in wait.
These “Super Bug’s” of today remind us again just how dangerous and stealthy these bacteria’s and other infectious virus can mutate becoming uncontrollable as well as possibly deadly! The basic precautions beginning with frequent hand washing and the use of protective gloves, eye wear, garments, masks and approved cleaning agents are tools to be utilized – not ignored as a “hassle or burden “ in performing medical device service.
