ification tests that
detect clinically rele-
vant soils. Also use
them every time you
buy a new scope or
send a scope out for
repair. Tests such as
adenosine triphos-
phate and chemical
reagents can help
determine whether
your cleaning proto-
cols are adequate, and help identify lapses in your manual cleaning.
Testing costs money, of course, but not nearly as much as one serious
infection might cost.
5. Mechanical reprocessing
Use an AER to mechanically clean scopes with a high-level disinfectant
or liquid chemical sterilant. Mechanical reprocessing adds a layer of
effectiveness and is safer than manual cleaning, because it reduces per-
sonnel exposure to biohazardous materials. Position scopes and acces-
sories such that all surfaces are exposed to the processing solutions,
and confirm that scopes are correctly connected to the AER. Also, if for
any reason a cycle is interrupted, it should be repeated in its entirety.
6. Drying
Proper drying may be the hardest thing to get across. If there's one
thing people don't do well, it's that they don't dry scopes adequately.
The first thing to do once mechanical processing is complete is to
ensure that all channels are thoroughly dried with instrument air, and
1 2 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 • J a n u a r y 2 0 1 7
• ROLE REVERSAL? AERs should also be subjected to periodic microbiologic surveillance to
ensure that they don't contaminate clean endoscopes.
