J U L Y 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 9 7
Y
ou can manually clean an endoscope until it shines and
examine every millimeter of its insertion tube for pin-
hole leaks, but none of that matters if fluid remains in
the scope's interior channels. The challenge, of course,
is that endoscope channels aren't visible to the naked
eye, so any retained moisture is hidden from reprocessing staff. And a
little fluid can cause big problems.
"Residual moisture allows for bacteria and biofilm growth — both
of which put patients at risk of cross contamination," says John
Whelan, BSN, RN, who recently retired from his position as system
project manager for high-level disinfection at Michigan Medicine in
Ann Arbor.
Kendal Gapinski | Contributing Editor
How to Keep Your Endoscope Channels Dry
Tips for preventing residual moisture from collecting after reprocessing.
• TOWELING OFF Wiping down endoscopes after they've been disinfected is the first step of a proactive drying approach.
