organic soils, and wiping exterior surfaces with a damp, soft, lint-free
cloth or sponge. Often overlooked, but equally important: Pre-clean all
accessories, too, like suction valves and caps, and keep them with the
scope they were used with until the final sterilization or disinfection is
finished.
2. Transport
Once they're pre-cleaned, and while still damp, transport flexible
scopes horizontally in closed, leak-proof containers labeled as biohaz-
ards, regardless of where they're being transported from — endoscopy,
radiology, the OR, or anywhere else. The one exception: if you're trans-
porting directly from the procedure room into the cleaning room with
no possibility that you'll encounter cross-traffic.
3. Manual clean
Along with leak testing, this is one of the most important steps in
reprocessing. Done properly with the right tools for the right amount
of time, it reduces the level of bioburden both on and in the endo-
scope, and thus promotes more effective disinfection or sterilization.
Brushes that are too large can damage the internal workings of a
scope; brushes that are too small may leave some particulate behind.
Use either the brush supplied by or recommended by the scope manu-
facturer. Plus, use only disposable brushes and use them only once.
Using the same brush on multiple scopes is an all-too-common mis-
take that can have dangerous ramifications.
4. Verification
Visual inspection, even with magnification, isn't good enough to deter-
mine whether a scope is truly clean after manual cleaning. At a set
time each day, as either the first or last thing you do, use cleaning ver-
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