Recommended Guidelines for Ultrasound Gel Infection Control

In light of at least seven reports of infection outbreaks associated with the use of ultrasound transmission gels, only sterilized gels should be used for most ultrasound procedures, write the authors of a commentary in the December 2012 Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. They recommend that nonsterilized gels be considered only when the patient’s skin is completely intact, and even then they recommend that providers take steps to ensure that the gel is not contaminated.