Epidemiologist Highlights Potential Impact of Contaminated Bronchoscopes on COVID-19 Patients

Prevention Challenges
Device-related cross-contamination is a greater concern when hospitals are experiencing shortages of ventilators and personal protective equipment, researcher Cori Ofstead writes in a new paper in response to the novel coronavirus.

Institutional Thought on Cross-Contamination: A Sampling

Prevention Challenges
An audit of three major institutions’—the FDA, CMS, and ECRI Institute—stance on endoscope cross-contamination suggests that they are anything but laissez-faire. What best practices can bronchoscope users learn from these guidelines to prevent widespread outbreaks resulting from endoscope cross-contamination?

Mishandling Flexible Endoscopes After Disinfection Is a Health Hazard

Prevention Challenges
Flexible endoscopes have made the ECRI Institute’s list of the top 10 health technology hazards every year since 2010—topping the rankings twice—though this year the focus shifted a bit.

How Biofilm on Flexible Scopes Shields MDROs

Prevention Challenges
Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria can thrive in biofilm that can form on bronchoscope lumen tubes if they are not properly cleaned. Vigorous adherence to all reprocessing steps—especially precleaning at bedside—is needed to help limit the risk of cross-contamination.

Sterile Processing Errors Rank High on New Top Tech Health Hazards List

Prevention Challenges
The annual list from ECRI Institute emphasizes “newly developing hazards and the migration of medical technologies to areas beyond the acute care setting.”

PPE in Reprocessing: Vital for Safety and Eliminating Endoscope Contaminants

Prevention Challenges
Endoscope reprocessing involves a complicated series of between 50 and 100 steps depending on the device instructions for use and society guidelines adopted by the institution. Among the dozens of steps needed are several PPE changes to protect the integrity of the cleaning process.

Contaminated Ice Used for Bronchoalveolar Lavage Causes Pseudo-Outbreak

Prevention Challenges
Mycobacterium mucogenicum outbreak linked back to contaminated ice used for bronchoalveolar lavage in new report from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

Study: Tap Water Causes Pseudo-Outbreaks in Endoscopy

Prevention Challenges
No patients were harmed thanks to 'swift multidisciplinary action' to identify and rectify the problem. New research, however, underscores findings that automated endoscope reprocessors can be compromised in disinfecting flexible bronchoscopes.

When It Comes to Shelf Life for Endoscopes, How Long is Too Long?

Prevention Challenges
Reprocessing endoscopes is a lengthy and complicated procedure, and the final steps are just as important as the first steps in guaranteeing patient safety. Extending the shelf life of endoscopes can save hospitals valuable time and money.

Why Do Some Duodenoscopes Remain Contaminated After Reprocessing?

Prevention Challenges
Manufacturers as well as federal agencies have made a host of recommendations, from manual cleaning on to disinfection and sterilization. But “there’s really not a lot of data on how effective they are in clinical use,” a researcher says.