Medical cotton swab There are two kinds of aseptic and non aseptic packaging. Aseptic cotton swab refers to the cotton swab packaged after disinfection treatment or chemical disinfection treatment; Non sterile cotton swabs are cotton swabs that have not undergone disinfection treatment. They are supplied to medical institutions for disinfection and sterilization before being used for treatment. Judging from the cotton swabs purchased by Mr. Zhang, it is possible to buy non sterile cotton swabs.

"The non sterile cotton swabs that consumers buy from pharmacies in their daily life are not" medical cotton swabs ", but only" life cotton swabs ". They can be used to clean skin and ears, but not for wound treatment." Wang Huasheng told the reporter that consumers bought non sterile cotton swabs from pharmacies without disinfection equipment and conditions in hospitals. If they were directly used for wound treatment, it is likely that a wound infection like Mr. Zhang will never heal.

The sterile cotton swab "has bacteria" when it is opened, and should be thrown away after 12 hours

The reporter bought several types of medical cotton swabs from many pharmacies. In addition to the words "medical cotton swabs", the external package of sterile cotton swabs also printed with words and instructions such as "sterile level", sterilization and disinfection method, while the external package of non sterile cotton swabs only printed with the words "medical cotton swabs" or "cotton swabs".

As for the mildew infection of the cotton swabs purchased by Mr. Zhang, Wang Huasheng explained that after the cotton swabs were unpacked, they were not sterilized. In the humid environment in summer, they were prone to bacteria and mildew infection.

Sterile cotton swabs can be directly used to treat wounds after opening the bag, but it is difficult for ordinary families to use up the medical cotton swabs at one time after purchasing them, so the cotton swabs should be placed in a cool and dry environment after unpacking, otherwise they will be easily affected with moisture and "mildew".

Mi Xiangqi, a nurse in the operating room of Peking University Third Hospital, said that the sterile packing cotton swab may also be infected with bacteria after opening the package. According to the Regulations on Hospital Infection Management in Wards issued by the former Health and Family Planning Commission in 2016, once the sterilization package of sterile cotton balls and gauze is opened, the use time should not exceed 24 hours, and the sterile cotton swabs that exceed 24 hours will also be recognized as "bacteria cotton swabs".

Wang Huasheng suggested that the sterile cotton swab should not be used to treat wounds after it has been opened for more than 12 hours. It can be used for home health care or discarded. To avoid waste, consumers can purchase small packages such as individually packaged sterile cotton swabs.