Single-use duodenoscopes offer high overall completion rates along with “seemingly acceptable rates” of adverse events during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

That’s according to research shared last month at ACG 2023 in Vancouver. Researchers presented a poster based on findings collected through a review of data aiming to assess the efficacy and safety of available single-use scopes in mitigating the risk of multidrug-resistant infections associated with traditional duodenoscope contamination.

They found a pooled procedural completion rate of 95.5 percent. Doctors needed to switch to a reusable scope in 9.3 percent of cases.

Researchers found no instances of aspiration or perforation during the procedures. The pooled rate of post-ERCP pancreatitis was 2.7 percent, which is at the lower end of the reported range of 1 percent to 7 percent for average-risk patients.

Additionally, the post-sphincterotomy hemorrhage rate was 1.1 percent, aligning with reported rates of 0.8 percent to 2 percent.

The research included 634 adult patients who underwent ERCP procedures prior to October 2022.

Ambu A/S and Boston Scientific manufacture single-use duodenoscopes to enhance patient safety by reducing the risks associated with contamination and ineffective reprocessing of reusable scopes. By providing a sterile, disposable option for ERCP procedures, single-use options improve infection control and aim to result in better patient outcomes.