Experience with surface disinfectants in HEMS / FWAA

[berndk]

Hi, I am reviewing various medical interior solutions in fixed wing air ambulance and HEMS and would be interested in your experience on how you clean the equipment? Usually the surfaces are not easy to clean compared to a dedicated road ambulance and maybe not that resistant to cleaning agents. Which agents do you use and what challenges are you facing when cleaning aviation medical interior?
Looking forward to your experience and replies, thanks in advance.

 

[Summit]

Generally you are looking at disinfectants that include hypochlorite (bleach), isopropyl alcohol, QACs (quaternary ammonia), and hydrogen peroxide. Different ones are going to require longer wet times than others, be effective against various pathogens (or not), and have different effects on equipment. Consult your IFUs for compatible solutions.

 

[MMiz]

I don't work in an air ambulance, but I'm having a hard time thinking of a surface in the back of an air ambulance that couldn't be cleaned in similar ways to cleaning a typical ground ambulance.

During COVID I saw a lot of services (ground and air) use hydrogen peroxide foggers and then electrostatic sprayers. It appeared to even be used on flight suits and kits.

Not sure if portable UV-C devices are still a thing, but they too became popular during COVID.

 

[DesertMedic66]

We just wipe everything down in the back like you would in a normal ambulance. We, my company, were never authorized to use any sort of fogging machines in the aircraft as there was potential for that mist to get into sensitive areas of the aircraft and corrode electronics.

 

[berndk]

Consult your IFUs for compatible solutions

This () and what DesertMedic66 said are exactly the key of my question: the IFU exist usually for the dedicated medical devices (ventilator, stretcher etc.) but not necessarily for the aircraft interior (walls, flooring, seats) which are also likely to be contaminated.

 

[DesertMedic66]

This () and what DesertMedic66 said are exactly the key of my question: the IFU exist usually for the dedicated medical devices (ventilator, stretcher etc.) but not necessarily for the aircraft interior (walls, flooring, seats) which are also likely to be contaminated.

A division of my company builds and installs medical interiors in aircraft so we just consult with them. They said any of the commercially available healthcare wipes are perfectly safe to use. If we have to use a spray bottle they want us to spray the chemical on a rag and not directly on any surfaces.

The seats are all made from a non-porous material and can just be wiped down like normal along with the seatbelts. There really isn’t anything special that needs to be done. If we need to do a deep clean then we will call in one of our mechanics and start the disassembly process so we can clean the different areas. Pilots and clinical crew can remove items that do not require a tool to remove. So we can remove some medical equipment mounts, gurney, and rear seats without having to call in our mechanics.

 

[Summit]

Yea I'd talk to the interior companies because at least you need to know the material composition you are trying to clean, then you can consult general charts for chemical compatibility, then a disinfectant vendor will have material specific charts for a given product.

Examples

https://www.mcgillhose.com/wp-content/uploads/MCGILL-FC-Compatible-Cleaning-Solutions-Chart.pdf

Chemical Compatibility Chart — Metals

This chart is intended as a general guide for various materials and chemicals. It shows some of the materials used in Terra’s products and chemicals likely to be used with th

www.terrauniversal.com

Chemical Compatibility Chart — Plastics

This chart is intended as a general guide for various materials and chemicals. It shows some of the materials used in Terra’s products and chemicals likely to be used with th

www.terrauniversal.com