designed specifically
for endoscope stor-
age circulate HEPA-
filtered air through
the endoscope chan-
nels to assist in the
complete drying of
these channels. The
length of time that
endoscopes can be
stored before having to be reprocessed again is up for debate.
Clinical research is inconclusive in its advice, with studies showing
5 to 7 days as a limit while other papers indicate scopes can used
safely within 21 days
of being disinfected.
It's best to consider
all available data and
huddle with your
infection prevention-
ist and endoscopy
clinical managers to
develop a policy that
makes sense for your
facility's case volume
and endoscope use.
Reality checks
I've been working
with endoscopes and
in GI facilities for
2 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9
• INSIDER INFORMATION Small-diameter borescopes let you examine the interior
of scopes for residual bacteria and the first signs in interior damage.
Weston
Balch,
CRCST,
CIS,
CHL
