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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 O N L I N E | A U G U S T 2 0 1 5
Battling Biofilm
Are your reprocessing practices up to the task?
T
he complex design of
your endoscopes makes
reprocessing them a
challenging task, especially since
the prescribed cleaning guide-
lines are always vulnerable to
human error. Are you doing
enough, then, to protect these
instruments — and your patients
— from a cross-contamination
risk that can withstand even the
rigors of proper, thorough and
repeated high-level
disinfection?
Beware of biofilm
Many gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including those that
colonize the GI tract, have the ability to form a biofilm. This sticky
microbial slime adheres to any surface, particularly a wet or damp
one, and hardens into a protective coating for the bacteria it sur-
rounds. Once a biofilm forms on a surface, it's very difficult to
remove, and because it resists the bactericidal activity of high-level
disinfection, it lets the organisms inside live on.
Bioburden and residual organic material left behind on improperly
or inadequately reprocessed surgical instruments may spark biofilm
formation. This can be particularly common, and particularly prob-
lematic, in the multiple ports, channels and other intricate, difficult-to-
I N F E C T I O N P R E V E N T I O N
Charles Edmiston, Jr., PhD, CIC
z BRUSH AND FLUSH Thorough manual cleaning is
essential to prevent the formation, and near-permanent
residence, of biofilm in an endoscope's lumens.