M A Y 2 0 2 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 3 7
E
ndoscopes
must be long,
narrow and
flexible to do
their jobs. This
also makes them extremely
delicate and notoriously diffi-
cult to clean. They can break
in transport from the proce-
dure room to the sterile pro-
cessing area and can wear
down from daily rounds of
high-level disinfection. That's
why a staff trained in how to
properly clean, hang and dry
these expensive devices is
critical to making sure they're always in good working order and
available for whenever your physicians need them next.
Dirty-to-clean workflow
The first step to guaranteeing an endoscope is properly disinfected
the next time it's used is to begin treating it immediately after it's
been withdrawn from the patient. Bedside cleaning in the endoscopy
suite should consist of wiping down the external surface of the scope
with a soap and water solution, and aspirating the cleaning solution
through the scope's channels. Some cleaning solutions come pre-wet-
ted, so you can perform this immediate-use cleaning without having
Scope Reprocessing Starts at the Bedside
Follow the essentials of endoscope disinfecting, drying and storage.
• IMMEDIATE CLEANING Certified Surgical Technologist Ronda
Vasquez wipes down the outside of a scope and flushes it with a
soapy solution soon after it was used in the procedure room.
Artesia
General
Hospital
Randall Rentschler, RN | Artesia, N.M.