Organic Buildup Residual Blood on Infant Stethoscopes in Maternal-Infant Areas

Abstract

To identify the presence of residual blood and organic matter on "clean" stethoscopes in maternal-infant units. In this retrospective, nonexperimental study, stethoscopes were tested using qualitative measurements. Using a nonprobability sampling technique, 11 acute care hospitals in a three-state area of the southwestern United States were studied. All stethoscopes found on the maternal-infant units were included, for a total sample size of 97. A hand-held 10-power lens was used to visually rank the amount of organic buildup, and the phenolphthalein test was used to detect residual blood on the stethoscope. Of 97 clean infant stethoscopes, 80% of labor and delivery and 72% of nursery stethoscopes had organic buildup on the diaphragm. Both areas had similar rates of organic buildup, chi2 (1, N = 97) = 1.00, p = ns. Nursery areas did have significantly lower rates of residual blood than stethoscopes from labor and delivery, phi2 (1, N = 97) = 9.89, p = .002. Seventy-six percent of labor and delivery stethoscopes were positive for blood, as compared to 46% of nursery stethoscopes. Traditional methods for cleaning stethoscopes used in labor and delivery and nursery areas are ineffective in removing blood and other body fluids from the stethoscope.