PocketSwab Plus for Healthcare

PocketSwab Plus ATP swabs are used in healthcare facilities to control infection by monitoring the cleanliness of key surfaces.

Testing is quick and easy. Simply swab a test surface with PocketSwab Plus. The swab is treated so it can break down biofilm and detect any form of ATP. Insert the swab into the test reagents, and then read the result in the hand-held novaLUM luminometer.

ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is present in all microorganisms, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus spp., Clostridium difficile, Candida albicans, and Acinetobacter spp.

Hospital managers set the novaLUM with a numeric threshold for each surface. Results above this threshold are “dirty,” and results below this threshold are “clean.” When a worker performs a test he or she immediately knows whether the test area needs to be re-cleaned.

Data is stored in the novaLUM and can be exported to a computer for analysis.

Researchers evaluated three ATP test systems for their ability to monitor sanitized hospital surfaces as a control practice. The study, published in the American Journal of  Infection Control, validated ATP measurement for monitoring the cleanliness of healthcare surfaces. Of the three ATP systems, only the novaLUM and PocketSwab Plus was recommended for use in hospitals without protocol modification.

 Study highlights

 

Typical test areas to swab include:

General:   • Laundry care   • Medication rooms   • Ware washing   • Ventilation air ducts   • Hand washing compliance

Central Sterile– Non-Autoclavable Instrumentation:   • Endoscopes   • Bronchoscopes   • Feeding utensils   • Hydrotherapy equipment

Surgical:   • Surgical areas   • Isolation rooms   • Hand washing        compliance