• N Hirsch, A Beckett, J Collinge, F Scaravilli, S Tabrizi, and S Berry.
• Department of Neuroanaesthesia, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK. nicholas.hirsch@uclh.org
• Anaesthesia. 2005 Jul 1;60(7):664-7.

AbstractVariant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is associated with extensive prion infection of lymphoreticular tissues during the prolonged asymptomatic incubation period. Instruments exposed to infected tissues of preclinically infected individuals during medical or surgical procedures represent a potential risk of iatrogenic transmission of vCJD prions. We assessed the frequency of contamination with lymphoid tissue of single-use laryngoscope blades used for tracheal intubation for general anaesthesia. Using a cyto-centrifugation technique, lymphocytes were detected from 30% of laryngoscope blades studied. As prions resist routine sterilisation procedures, the use of non-disposable laryngoscope blades poses a risk of transmitting vCJD from patient to patient. The use of such instruments should be abandoned and disposable alternatives used.

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