There is currently a national shortage of disposable and reusable blood pressure cuffs, which has affected our main supplier, Welch-Allyn. While we have an adequate inventory of neonatal and pediatric disposable blood pressure cuffs, the adult-sized cuffs are in limited supply for the hospital; this does not apply to our ambulatory offices.
Routinely, disposable blood pressure cuffs are intended for single-patient use and should be disposed of after care ends. However, due to the shortage, we recommend using one disposable blood pressure cuff per patient for the duration of their stay unless it becomes non-functional, heavily soiled, or otherwise unusable. This process change has been approved by our Infection Prevention team keeping patient safety in mind.
Proper bedside disinfection is challenging due to the soft material used in disposable blood pressure cuffs. If this shortage continues, we will explore centralized decontamination options for disposable blood pressure cuffs in line with established infection prevention practices.
Cooper’s Supply Chain team is monitoring the situation and will provide ongoing updates. The team is querying neighboring hospitals, and our Medical Coordination Center is querying hospitals statewide, to evaluate inventory levels, with the possibility of sharing inventory if needed. Additionally, we are engaging with our previous supplier to explore the feasibility of transitioning back to their disposable blood pressure cuffs.
In summary, all team members are encouraged to conserve Cooper’s supply by using one disposable blood pressure cuff per patient for the duration of their stay unless it becomes unsafe or non-functional.
For more information, please contact Erik DelBuono, Director of Procurement, Supply Chain Services.
We appreciate your cooperation and patience. As always, thank you for your outstanding care of our patients.