Current limitations about the cleaning of luminal endoscopes

The presence and potential build-up of patient material such as proteins in endoscope lumens can have significant implications, including toxic reactions, device damage, inadequate disinfection/sterilization, increased risk of biofilm development and potential transmission of pathogens.

To evaluate potential protein deposition and removal in the channels of flexible luminal endoscopes during a simple contamination/cleaning cycle.

The level of contamination present on disposable endoscopy forceps which come into contact with the lumen of biopsy channels was evaluated. Following observations in endoscopy units, factors influencing protein adsorption inside luminal endoscope channels and the action of current initial cleaning techniques were evaluated using a proteinaceous test soil and very sensitive fluorescence epimicroscopy.

Disposable endoscope accessories appear to be likely to contribute to the contamination of lumens, and were useful indicators of the amount of proteinaceous soil transiting through the channels of luminal endoscopes. Enzymatic cleaning according to the manufacturer's recommendations and brushing of the channels were ineffective at removing all proteinaceous residues from new endoscope channels after a single contamination. Rinsing immediately after contamination only led to a slight improvement in decontamination outcome.

Limited action of current decontamination procedures and the lack of applicable quality control methods to assess the cleanliness of channels between patients contribute to increasing the risk of cross-infection of potentially harmful micro-organisms and molecules during endoscopy procedures.