N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 0 5
Thinking of Buying …
Donna Nucci, RN, BSN, CIC
I
f your techs man-
ually reprocess
dozens of flexible
GI endoscopes every
day, what are the odds
they they're cleaning
the first scope's chan-
nels as well as the
20th scope's channels?
Automated endoscope
reprocessors (AER)
take human worker
variability out of the
equation, producing
flow rates that are stronger than those produced by manual flushing
and delivering more consistent results. These are both key factors in
preventing endoscope-related infections.
Besides patient safety, there's also staff safety to consider. If you're
asking staff to soak and hand-clean flexible endoscopes, you may be
exposing them to dangerous, potentially carcinogenic, liquid chemical
germicides — chemicals that can have toxic fumes and the potential
to splash onto skin or into eyes.
Generally, AERs include a wash phase, a high-level disinfection expo-
sure phase and a rinse phase. The AER immerses the endoscope in the
cleaning or disinfectant solution and pumps liquid chemical sterilants
and/or high-level disinfectants through the scope's channels. Some also
spray the surfaces of the endoscope that aren't immersed and don't
An Automated Endoscope Reprocessor
7 questions to ask to find the AER that best suits your needs.
• AER ADVANTAGE Automated endoscope reprocessors promote rapid scope turnarounds and less labor for your techs.
