3 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A R C H 2 0 1 7
Y
ou can brush and
flush with preci-
sion, for just the
right amount of
time and with
just the right amount of
touch, and still there's no
guarantee that you'll deliver
an endoscope free of bacteria
and bioburden. Such is the
lot of the reprocessing tech
and the degree of difficulty of
the manual clean, a rather
thankless chore that requires amazing stamina and attention to detail.
The job recently got a lot more daunting with the publication of a
study that found that rigorous, by-the-book cleaning of flexible endo-
scopes before disinfection doesn't ensure that scopes are free of con-
tamination, particularly when the scopes have scratches and dents
that could harbor blood, tissue and bacteria. The study, published in
Is That Scope Clean?
No Guarantees
Even rigorous by-the-book
cleaning doesn't ensure that
your flexible endoscopes will
be free of bacteria and
bioburden when you hang
them to dry.
Dan O'Connor | Editor-in-Chief
• LEFT BEHIND Despite reprocessing in accordance with guidelines, organic residue and viable
microbes can remain on endoscopes.
ECRI
Institute
