Some facilities have
even resorted to putting
locks on the doors of
the reprocessing room
so physicians can't
enter the reprocessing
area to tell techs to
hurry up, according to
Mr. Myers. That might
not be as extreme a
step as it sounds.
"Physicians, especially employees of health systems, are asked to
perform a high-volume of cases, and scope capacity has to be able
to keep up with that demand," he says. "I understand those pres-
sures, but I value patient safety more than my paycheck."
Mr. Myers often asks his scope reprocessors how many times
they've brushed the interior lumen of a scope, and is often told they
pulled a brush through only once. "One or two quick passes through a
scope without conducting 360-degree twirls isn't enough to ensure the
channels are clean," says Mr. Myers.
There is also some data that suggest pulling a squeegee-tipped
device through channels does a better job of cleaning than brush-
ing. "When you push a brush down on a hard surface, the bristles sep-
arate," says Mr. Myers. "The same thing happens inside an endoscope
when reprocessing techs push them through — the bristles separate
and leave bioburden behind."
2. Inspect internal channels
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) test strips, which detect the presence
of microbial growth, are often used to spot-check the effectiveness of
8 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9
• HANDS ON Endoscope cleaning and disinfecting requires an attention to detail
and access to the latest tools to do the job right.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
