La. Admin. Code tit. 46 § XLV-6705

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section XLV-6705 - Use of Infection Control Precautions

A. General Requirements. A practitioner who performs or participates in an invasive procedure or performs a function ancillary to an invasive procedure shall, in performance of or participation in any such procedure or function, be familiar with, observe and rigorously adhere to both general infection control practices and universal blood and body-fluid precautions as then recommended by the Federal Centers for Disease Control to minimize the risk of the transmission of HBV or HIV from a practitioner to a patient, from a patient to a practitioner, or from a patient to a patient.

B. Universal Blood and Body-Fluid Precautions. For purposes of this Section, adherence to universal blood and body-fluid precautions requires observance of the following minimum standards.

1. Protective Barriers. A practitioner shall routinely use appropriate barrier precautions to prevent skin and mucous-membrane contact with blood and other body fluids of all patients. Gloves and surgical masks shall be worn and shall be changed after contact with each patient. Protective eyewear or face shields and gowns or aprons made of materials that provide an effective barrier shall be worn during procedures that commonly result in the generation of droplets, splashing of blood or body fluids, or the generation of bone chips. A practitioner who performs, participates in, or assists in a vaginal or caesarean delivery shall wear gloves and gowns when handling the placenta or the infant until blood and amniotic fluid have been removed from the infant's skin and shall wear gloves during post-delivery care of the umbilical cord. If, during any invasive procedure, a glove is torn or punctured, the glove should be removed and a new glove used as promptly as patient safety permits.

2. Hand Washing. Hands and other skin surfaces shall be washed immediately and thoroughly if contaminated with blood or other body fluids. Hands shall be washed immediately after gloves are removed.

3. Percutaneous Injury Precautions. A practitioner shall take appropriate precautions to prevent injuries caused by needles, scalpels, and other sharp instruments or devices during procedures; when cleaning used instruments; during disposal of used needles; and when handling sharp instruments after procedures. If a needlestick injury occurs, the needle or instrument involved in the incident should be removed from the sterile field. To prevent needlestick injuries, needles should not be recapped, purposely bent, or broken by hand, removed from disposable syringes, or otherwise manipulated by hand. After they are used, disposable syringes and needles, scalpel blades, and other sharp items should be placed for disposal in puncture-resistant containers located as close as practical to the use area. Large-bore reusable needles should be placed in puncture-resistant containers for transport to the reprocessing area.

4. Resuscitation Devices. To minimize the need for emergency mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, a practitioner shall ensure that mouthpieces, resuscitation bags, or other ventilation devices are available for use in areas in which the need for resuscitation is predictable.

5. Sterilization and Disinfection. Instruments or devices that enter sterile tissue or the vascular system of any patient or through which blood flows should be sterilized before reuse. Devices or items that contact intact mucous membranes should be sterilized or receive high-level disinfection.

La. Admin. Code tit. 46, § XLV-6705

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Board of Medical Examiners, LR 18:1124 (October 1992).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 37:1746-1747 and 37:1270(B)(6).