Information on
the size and
style of the
brush is usual-
ly found in the
manufacturer's
IFU. The brush
size should be
the same diam-
eter as the
lumen — too
small and it won't create enough friction to clean the inside of the
lumen; too large and the bristles will bend or not fit correctly inside.
Another option is pull-through channel brushes that are designed for
hard-to-clean narrow channels.
Scrubbing should be done under water — the tech wants to mini-
mize contact with the debris being pulled out of the lumen. Also
note that brushes should be checked for wear and tear, which
affects their ability to clean inside the lumen. Reusable brushes
should be cleaned after each use and should be either disinfected or
sterilized daily, according to the manufacturer's IFU. For endo-
scopes, techs follow a similar process except that a leak test should
also be performed, following manufacturer's IFU.
3. Flushing the lumen
Once scrubbing is complete, the lumen must be flushed with copious
amounts of water to remove any remaining detergent and debris. For
most instruments, you have the option of manual flushing using a
syringe, or you can do mechanical high-pressure flushing using a vari-
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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 | J U N E 2 0 1 5
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
z SCRUBBING RULES Make sure your brush is the correct size
to clean the instrument's lumen and that it is cleaned after use.
