Practical toolkit for monitoring endoscope reprocessing effectiveness: Identification of viable bacteria on gastroscopes, colonoscopes, and bronchoscopes

A Systematic Review of Disposable Sheath Use During Flexible Endoscopy

“…After sterilization, 100% of ureteroscopes had protein contamination and 13% had microbial growth . Inadequate reprocessing described in this study and others can expose patients to contaminated endoscopes …”

Potential impact of contaminated bronchoscopes on novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients

“…Ofstead et al [7][8][9] have conducted prospective studies that evaluated effectiveness of bronchoscope reprocessing in 5 hospitals in the United States. Microbial growth was detected on 23 of 35 bronchoscopes (65.7%), and 10 bronchoscopes (28.6%) harbored high-concern organisms or actionable levels of microbial growth (>100 CFU) ( Table 1).…”

“…Microbial growth was detected on 23 of 35 bronchoscopes (65.7%), and 10 bronchoscopes (28.6%) harbored high-concern organisms or actionable levels of microbial growth (>100 CFU) ( Table 1). [7][8][9] Mold and gram-negative bacteria were detected, including S. maltophilia, Sphingomonas phyllosphaerae, and Escherichia coli/Shigella. At one hospital, high protein levels were detected in 7 of 8 bronchoscopes, indicating that manual cleaning failed to remove soil.…”

“…7,8 Audits evaluating personal protective equipment use and reprocessing guideline adherence (eg, point-ofcare precleaning; leak testing; manual cleaning; visual inspection; cleaning verification; high-level disinfection; rinsing; drying; storage; transport and handling) identified breaches in all 5 hospitals. [7][8][9] Technicians in 2 hospitals (sites 1 and 5) performed most reprocessing steps correctly, but bronchoscopes at both sites harbored S. maltophilia due to contaminated rinse water. 7,9 In 3 hospitals (sites 2-4), nearly all steps were performed incorrectly or were skipped entirely.…”

“…[7][8][9] Technicians in 2 hospitals (sites 1 and 5) performed most reprocessing steps correctly, but bronchoscopes at both sites harbored S. maltophilia due to contaminated rinse water. 7,9 In 3 hospitals (sites 2-4), nearly all steps were performed incorrectly or were skipped entirely. 7,8 In light of these breaches and observations that most bronchoscopes were damaged and contaminated, a recommendation was made that procedures in 2 hospitals be halted until strict protocols could be implemented and personnel retrained.…”