T
he proper cleaning and high-level disin-
fecting of flexible endoscopes has been
under increased scrutiny because their
long, narrow channels make it difficult
for reprocessing techs to access or see
contaminants stuck deep inside lumens during man-
ual cleaning. If bacteria remain in scopes after man-
ual cleaning, high-level disinfecting won't be effec-
tive and the risk of cross-contamination increases.
Right now, however, the only infection on most
people's minds is COVID-19, which can reside in
both the respiratory and the gastrointestinal tracts
— where endoscopes travel. If a patient is COVID-
19 positive, the virus can very likely be present in
the scope used during the procedure. The pandemic
has caused many patients to postpone colono-
scopies, among other elective procedures, for fear
of being exposed to the coronavirus.
It's a legitimate concern. Or is it?
"Standard cleaning and disinfection should elimi-
nate any viral particles," says Robert Lim, MD, FACS,
FASMBS, vice chair of education at Oklahoma
University School of Medicine in Tulsa. Other
experts express similar sentiments. "Our reprocess-
ing has stayed pretty much the same," says Muriel
Moyo, MS, BSN, RN, CCRN-K, NE-BC, clinical direc-
tor of OPSC, PACU & Endoscopy at PIH Health
Downey (Calif.) Hospital, which regularly cultures its
scopes to check for residual contaminants. Monjur
Ahmed, MD, an assistant professor of gastroenterolo-
gy at Jefferson University in Philadelphia, told us that
after speaking with his scope vendor, he's satisfied
5 8 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A U G U S T 2 0 2 0
Joe Paone | Senior Associate Editor
How Does COVID-19 Impact
Endoscope Reprocessing?
Now's the time to reemphasize the importance of
meticulous cleaning and high-level disinfecting.
TOUGH JOB Manual cleaning of endoscopes is more critical than ever in the COVID-19 era.
Penn
State
Milton
S.
Hershey
Medical
Center
