Fomites: From Colonization to the Risk of Infection on Tourniquets in Nursing Practice

Currently, infections associated with health care are considered a problem for which health professionals should orientate their attention accounting the implications for the patient safety. According to some researches "(...) around 6% of hospitalized patients will acquire an infection during their admission" (Pinto, Phan, Sala, Cheong, Siarakas, Gottlieb, 2011, p.277)".  Thus, we intend to characterize the nursing care in the use of tourniquets which is described and developed in recent research studies.

As a research methodology, we use the Integrative Literature Review (ILR). In the survey were used the bibliographic EBSCOhost platform, as well as the bibliographic in reference literature. Of the 168 original articles, only 5 met the inclusion criteria (method PI[C]O).

The tourniquet is a device associated with health care being used more often by nurses, doctors and technical of Clinical Analysis. It's used in some medical procedures and their use is associated to the more invasive common procedures in terms of heath care such as: cannulation and venipuncture. "(...) tourniquets are often used consecutively on multiple patients without disinfection between uses" (Pinto, Phan, Sala, Cheong, Siarakas, Gottlieb, 2011, p.276). It's utilization is crucial and very important to do the procedures with maximum effectiveness and efficiency.

"(...) Tourniquets have the potential to act as fomites" ( Pinto, Phan, Sala, Cheong, Siarakas, Gottlieb, 2011, p.277) They can harbor of several pathological and multiresistance microbes improving the environmental colonization and deficiencies in hospital cleaning.

According to Kim, Ahn, Lee and Chae (2014) "(...) One of the major efforts to prevent hospital-acquired infections is personal hygiene of the health care provider, which reportedly reduces the incidence of hospital-acquired infections". To improve, all these points, reusable tourniquets may not be used in the current hospital setting or heath care professionals should take measures such as "(...) reusable tourniquets should be cleaned, rinsed and dried between patients according to manufacturer’s instruction" (Sahu, Tadu e Mall, 2015, p.S117).

Waging in prevention and embracing different measures justified by scientific evidence.  Implementing single use tourniquets it's a win-win measure that will contribute to improving the hospital hygiene. This, it´s considered appropriate continuity of scientific literature on this subject in order to raise awareness among health professionals, as well as minimize the incidence and prevalence rates. Investing in research, in order to implement reasoned measures to decrease the costs of complications always thinking about the patient safety.