What overall practice minimizes infection risk during PD exchanges?

What overall practice minimizes infection risk during PD exchanges?

• A. Reuse connectors without disinfection
• B. Avoid touching connectors
• C. Follow continuous sterile technique with clean, dry connections
• D. Skip hand hygiene

Answer: (C)

Infection risk during PD exchanges comes from introducing microorganisms at the connection points where the dialysate is accessed. The best approach is to use continuous sterile technique throughout the entire exchange. This means keeping the connection area clean and dry, disinfecting all connectors and lines, handling them with a sterile mindset, and maintaining a sterile field from start to finish. By preventing contamination of all parts that come into contact with the catheter system and keeping moisture and germs away from those connections, you greatly reduce the chance that bacteria or fungi will enter the peritoneal cavity. Avoiding touching connectors is good practice, but it isn’t enough on its own—hands must be clean or, better, sterile, and the entire process must be performed in a consistently aseptic manner. Reusing connectors without disinfection introduces pathogens, increasing infection risk. Skipping hand hygiene directly increases the likelihood of transferring microbes. Therefore, the comprehensive, continuous sterile technique with clean, dry connections best minimizes infection risk.

Infection risk during PD exchanges comes from introducing microorganisms at the connection points where the dialysate is accessed. The best approach is to use continuous sterile technique throughout the entire exchange. This means keeping the connection area clean and dry, disinfecting all connectors and lines, handling them with a sterile mindset, and maintaining a sterile field from start to finish. By preventing contamination of all parts that come into contact with the catheter system and keeping moisture and germs away from those connections, you greatly reduce the chance that bacteria or fungi will enter the peritoneal cavity.

Avoiding touching connectors is good practice, but it isn’t enough on its own—hands must be clean or, better, sterile, and the entire process must be performed in a consistently aseptic manner. Reusing connectors without disinfection introduces pathogens, increasing infection risk. Skipping hand hygiene directly increases the likelihood of transferring microbes. Therefore, the comprehensive, continuous sterile technique with clean, dry connections best minimizes infection risk.