If your clinic runs limited obstetric ultrasound, you already know the drill for the transvaginal probe. Cover comes off, the transducer is cleaned, it goes into STERIS RESERT Revital-Ox, you check your concentration with an R60 strip, and you log it. Pregnancy medical clinics are some of our most consistent RESERT and test-strip customers, and it shows: this community takes high-level disinfection seriously.

But HLD is one half of the job. The other half covers the abdominal transducer, the cable, the console keyboard, the exam table, the stirrups, the chair where her partner sat, and the pen she used to sign intake. None of that goes in the soak. All of it still needs to be disinfected between patients.

Two categories, two protocols

The framework every infection preventionist uses comes from the CDC's disinfection guideline, built on the Spaulding classification. The CDC defines noncritical items as those that touch intact skin but not mucous membranes, and lists examples such as blood pressure cuffs and computers. Those items call for low-level disinfection with an EPA-registered product, and they can be cleaned right where they're used.

Semicritical items are different. AIUM's 2025 guidance is plain on this point: transvaginal and other internal transducers need HLD before the next patient, and a probe cover doesn't change that. That's the RESERT side of your room.

In a typical PRC ultrasound room, that means one device gets HLD and roughly a dozen surfaces get low-level disinfection. The second list is where things slip.

2,775U.S. pregnancy centers (2025 national report)
~1,200NIFLA member centers converted to medical clinics
60%of abdominal transducers swabbed showed bacterial contamination in one study
60%of surveyed ultrasound users lacked adequate cleaning training

Those last two numbers come from studies AIUM cites in its guidance. One team swabbed 171 transducers and found evidence of bacteria on 60% of transabdominal probes versus 14% of transvaginal ones; after low-level disinfection, both dropped to roughly 4%. The same researchers found a third of respondents had no written infection control policy covering transducers or the scanner itself. The external probe — the one that never sees a soak — was the dirtier of the two.

"Adequate transducer preparation is mandatory."

— American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
What high-level disinfection does not cover

Your HLD soak reprocesses the endocavity transducer. It does not touch the abdominal transducer, the probe cable, the console, the keyboard or touchscreen, the exam table and stirrups, the gel warmer, the counter where you set things down, or the door handle on the way out.

Per the CDC, those are noncritical items. They need an EPA-registered low-level disinfectant applied between patients, and the label's wet contact time has to be met for the kill claim to count.

A between-patient turnover that covers both halves

Here's a turnover sequence that puts both protocols on one page. Treat it as a starting point for your own written policy, checked against your transducer manufacturer's instructions for use and your medical director's review. NIFLA's Life Choice Project provides sample medical policy and procedure forms for member clinics, which is a good place to house it.

Ultrasound room turnover — PRC medical clinic
1
Gloves on, cover off HLDRemove the probe cover without letting the transducer touch patient fluids, and discard it.
2
Clean and dry the endocavity probe HLDRemove gel and visible soil from the head and handle as your probe manufacturer directs. AIUM notes that wet surfaces dilute high-level disinfectants, so dry before the soak.
3
Test, then disinfect HLDVerify RESERT concentration with an R60 test strip, run the full contact time and temperature in the IFU, rinse, dry, and log it.
4
Wipe the abdominal transducer and cable LLDRemove gel first, then disinfect with an EPA-registered wipe your probe manufacturer lists as compatible. Keep the surface wet for the full label contact time.
5
Console, keyboard, touchscreen LLDThese are touched with gloved, gel-covered hands mid-scan. Wipe them every patient, not every day.
6
Table, stirrups, chair arms, counter LLDReplace table paper, then disinfect the vinyl beneath it where fluids or gel reached.
7
Hand hygiene and resetGloves off, hands cleaned, a new cover staged for the next patient.
SONO Ultrasound Cleaning & Gel Combo Kit — SONO ultrasound wipes and SONO ultrasound gel
For the LLD half of your protocol

SONO Ultrasound Cleaning & Gel Combo Kit

SONO wipes and SONO ultrasound gel in one order — the everyday half of the room. Alcohol-free wipes, EPA Reg. #6836-340-89018. Made in the USA.

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Why PRCs feel this more than most clinics

Pregnancy centers have grown their medical side quickly. The 2025 Charlotte Lozier Institute report counted more than a million new clients in 2024 and noted centers adding services such as STI testing. More services mean more patients per room per day, more specimen handling, and more surfaces that see body fluids.

Staffing adds another layer. Many centers run on a mix of paid nurses and trained volunteers, and turnover protocols have to work for someone on her second Saturday shift, not just the nurse manager who wrote them. A single wipe that is safe on the transducer, the console, and the exam table removes a decision from that list.

Then there are mobile units. Save the Storks and ICU Mobile together ran more than 120 medical mobile units in 2022. A converted bus has less counter space, less ventilation, and no utility sink down the hall. Compact soft packs and a low-odor, alcohol-free formula matter more in 200 square feet than in a hospital suite.

SONO Wipes — why they fit here

SONO wipes are EPA-registered (Reg. #6836-340-89018) to kill 47 pathogens, including MRSA, norovirus, and SARS-CoV-2, with a formula that contains no alcohol and no bleach. That matters on transducers: harsh solvents are a common cause of lens and housing damage, which is why probe manufacturers publish compatibility lists. Echosens includes SONO wipes with every FibroScan unit it ships.

SONO wipes are a low-level disinfectant. They are not a substitute for HLD on transvaginal probes, and nothing in this article suggests otherwise. They're built for the half of the room RESERT doesn't reach.

⚠ Common gaps we see in clinic protocols

Skipping the dry step before the soak. Water left on the probe dilutes your HLD. Dry it first.

Wiping and walking away. Every EPA-registered wipe has a wet contact time. If the surface dries early, the kill claim doesn't apply.

Daily-only console cleaning. The keyboard is touched mid-exam with gloved hands. It's a between-patient surface.

Using a surface wipe the probe manufacturer hasn't cleared. Check your transducer's compatibility list before introducing any product to the lens.

No written policy. If the protocol lives only in the nurse manager's head, it leaves when she goes on vacation.

Most of what pregnancy clinics order from us is RESERT. That's the harder half of the protocol, and you've already solved it. The low-level half is simpler, but it covers more surfaces and gets done more often — and it's the half most likely to get skipped on a busy Saturday. If you're already placing a RESERT order, adding a case of wipes to the same shipment is the easiest fix in this article.

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STERIS RESERT Small Combo Pack — RESERT HLD, R60 test strips, SONO ultrasound gel, and SONO ultrasound wipes
One order for both halves of the room.

The STERIS RESERT Small Combo Pack bundles RESERT HLD, R60 test strips, SONO ultrasound gel, and SONO ultrasound wipes.

See the Combo Pack
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References & Sources