Outpatient Surgery Magazine

OR Excellence Awards - September 2020 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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T he devil's in the details when reprocessing difficult-to-dis- infect flexible endoscopes. "They're devilishly hard to clean because they're so fragile and complex," says Casey Czarnowski, BA, CRCST, CSPDT, CIS, CER, sterile processing educator at Stanford Health Care in the San Francisco area. Endoscopes that are improperly cleaned can't be properly high- level disinfected and present serious health risks to patients, so it's always a good idea to remind staff of the importance of these essen- tial tasks. The biggest mistake any reprocessing tech could make is oversimplifying the scope cleaning process, according to Jorge Tavera, CGTS, a reprocessing tech at PIH Health Downey (Calif.) Hospital. "Don't skip any of the steps, and don't go through the 4 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 • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0 The Essentials of Endoscope Care Proper cleaning, disinfecting and storage protocols prevent cross-contamination. THE RIGHT BALANCE While the automatic endoscope reprocessors help to speed up the cleaning process and minimize the need for manual brushing and scrubbing, it's important to follow the manufacturer's IFUs for the proper amount and dilution of the detergent. Seaford Endoscopy Center Danielle Bouchat-Friedman | Associate Editor

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