Abstract
Medical devices have to be designed so as to minimize as much as possible infection risks to patients, users and others including clinical engineers. Medical devices with high infection risks are those that are intended to come into contact with body fluids (e. g. endoscopes, suction devices, dialysis devices). A particular hygienic problem is germ proliferation. In devices containing residual liquids germs might proliferate very quickly. Because of their exponential increase germs quickly reach enormous numbers. As an example, in the case of a 20-min duplication time, within 8 hours one germ proliferates into already 2.107 and after one day even 5.1021 germs.
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© 2010 Springer-Verlag/Wien
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Leitgeb, N. (2010). Hygiene. In: Safety of Electromedical Devices. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-99683-6_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-99683-6_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna
Print ISBN: 978-3-211-99682-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-211-99683-6
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