4 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 Y 2 0 2 0
Society of Gastroenterology
Nurses and Associates (SGNA)
guidelines state that flexible
endoscopes cannot be stored
for more than seven days with-
out having to be reprocessed
again before reuse. These
guidelines, based on studies
that show bacteria can grow in
scopes with moisture inside
them that have been hanging
for more than a week, have
become the industry standard.
Of course, following these
guidelines can be problematic.
Scopes are delicate and expensive, and putting them through a
reprocessor every seven days increases their exposure to high-
level disinfectant, which can decrease the instrument's lifespan.
It also increases personnel costs, and the costs associated with
increased use of the automated endoscope reprocessor (AER)
and the solutions that go into it.
Fortunately, there's an alternative. You can perform your own
study to look at what bacterial growth, proteins left by bacteria or
other potential contamination remain in stored scopes over a
longer time period. You can use adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
testing to check for residual blood and bioburden in an endo-
scope's channels, thus indirectly measuring microbial contamina-
• DAYS GONE BY Conduct a study to determine the num-
ber of weeks that can pass between uses before scopes
must undergo high-level disinfection.
STORAGE SOLUTION
How Long Can Scopes Hang?
Artesia
General
Hospital
