M A y 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 5
I
s there a medical device that's harder to reprocess than a flex-
ible endoscope? You can do everything right — wipe it down
at the bedside, manually clean it with the properly sized brush
and run it through an automatic endoscope reprocessor —
and still find bacteria in its channels.
Those were the findings of a disturbing and eye-opening study con-
ducted at a surgery center specifically chosen for the quality of its
endoscope care protocols (osmag.net/J3eSDm). Staff members at the
facility did an impeccable job of following reprocessing guidelines.
Are Your Endoscopes Really Clean?
Don't bet on it. A disturbing study shows
just how difficult the devices are to disinfect.
Jim Burger | Contributing Editor and Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH | Saint Paul, Minn.
• TO THE LETTER Make sure endoscope reprocessing guidelines are always followed and document that your scopes are clean and in good working order.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
