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Low frequency treatment devices are often used in physical therapy in hospitals and oriental medicine clinics.

Electrical stimulation is applied to the sore area, and our coverage revealed that the hygiene condition of the sponge pad that touches the body is severe.

Even though it was applied directly to the patient's skin, various bacteria including E. coli were detected without changing the sponge every time or washing it properly.



Reporter Han Sang-woo covered it.



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The sponge pad of the low-frequency treatment device has already been used several times and has stains and even blood.



Spray the disinfectant with a nebulizer and stick it on the patient.



[Medical device industry officials: It's a waste to do it once and just throw it away, and it's possible to reuse it if you do some sterilization or something like that.

But most of them do not disinfect and use them as they are, most of them (there are many).]



Low-frequency or interference-wave therapy devices treat pain by applying electrical stimulation to the body. Way.



However, few patients know that this sponge pad is being reused.




[Physical therapy patient: I don't know what kind of person it touched, I don't know what part it might have touched, but it's a little bit...

(Reuse) It seems that we were talking about treatment without such content.] There



is a high risk of infection because it not only touches the skin directly, but also

puts

pressure on it.



[Bakhyojeong / Guro Hospital of family medicine specialty: (healthy people), but also get better on its own, those who suffer from chronic diseases, especially diabetes if saenggimyeon infection on the skin Severe can cause necrosis of the skin tissue -



university When the research team collected and investigated 20 sponge pads used in hospitals, an average of 5 million bacteria were detected in one pad.



That's 370 times more bacteria than shoe insoles.



E. coli also appeared in 8 out of 20.




The problem is that there are no hygiene standards for this sponge pad.



In the case of non-drug wet wipes, if bacteria are detected, you must take immediate measures to collect them.



The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said that low-frequency treatment pads must also be disinfected and cleaned according to the hygiene guidelines for medical devices, but it is difficult to supervise them individually.



Sponge pads frequently used for physical therapy, etc. are placed in the sanitary blind spot.



(Video coverage: Jang Woon-seok, video editing: Lee So-young)