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Comparison of two endoscope channel cleaning approaches to remove cyclic build-up biofilm
L Moshkanbaryans1, V Shah2, L Y Tan3
1Medical Affairs, Nanosonics Ltd, Sydney, Australia.
Introduction:
Biofilm contributes significantly to bacterial persistence in endoscope channels. Enhanced cleaning methods capable of removing biofilm from all endoscope channels are required to decrease infection risk to patients. This head-to-head study compared cyclic build-up biofilm removal of an automated endoscope channel cleaner (AECC) with standard manual cleaning according to instructions for use (IFU) in polytetrafluorethylene channels.
Methods:
Cyclic build-up biofilm was grown in 1.4-mm (representing air/water and auxiliary channels) and 3.7-mm (representing suction/ biopsy channels) inner diameter polytetrafluorethylene channels. All channels were tested for residual total organic carbon, protein, and viable bacteria. Internationally recognized ISO 15883-5:2021 alert levels were used as cleaning benchmarks for protein (3 μg/cm2) and total organic carbon (6 μg/cm2).
Results:
The automated cleaner significantly outperformed manual cleaning for all markers assessed (protein, total organic carbon, viable bacteria) in 1.4-mm and 3.7-mm channels representing air/water/auxiliary and suction/biopsy channels, respectively. Manual cleaning failed to remove biofilm from the air/water and auxiliary channels. According to the IFU, these channels are not brushed, suggesting a potential root cause for a portion of the numerous endoscopy-associated infections reported in the literature.
Conclusion:
AECC shows potential to deliver enhanced cleaning over current practice to all endoscope channels and may thereby address infection risk.
