Ambulance oxygen tanks are likely to carry methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, suggesting a need to regularly disinfect medical equipment, a study published in Emergency Medicine Journal found.
"Oxygen cylinders are exchanged pretty rapidly between facilities; they [need] to be refilled. They're not like normal pieces of medical equipment or supplies, which are disposable," study author Cody Gibson, told Reuters.
The researchers tested nine oxygen tanks in three ambulances based at an emergency medical services station in Alabama and found MRSA on every tank.
They also swabbed oxygen tanks in a storage area and found MRSA on 96 percent of the stored cylinders. The floor of all three ambulances and a door handle in one ambulance also tested positive.
Other ambulance equipment, such as heart monitors and blood pressure cuffs, did not test positive for MRSA contamination.
The researchers interviewed EMS personnel and found staff did not know when the oxygen cylinders were last disinfected, while other surfaces that patients contacted were regularly decontaminated with disinfectants.
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