Determining the best method for assessing microbiological contamination on flexible endoscopes without a working...

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Infection Control
• Medical Device Reprocessing

Background:

• Flexible endoscopes (FEs) without working channels pose reprocessing challenges due to potential extensive contamination.
• Effective reprocessing is crucial for patient safety and requires verification methods.
• Microbiological sampling is a key technique for assessing reprocessing quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of four distinct sampling techniques in detecting microbial contamination (colony-forming units [CFUs]) on used flexible endoscopes lacking a working channel.

Main Methods:

• 160 used flexible endoscopes without working channels underwent manual pre-cleaning.
• Four sampling techniques were applied to the distal end and tip: agar plate rolling (two types), swab, and broth methods.
• Microbiological contamination was assessed by counting CFUs after incubation.

Main Results:

• All four sampling techniques successfully detected varying levels of CFUs (0 to >500) on the endoscopes.
• A statistically significant detection of CFUs was observed across all techniques (p ≤ 0.001).
• No significant difference was found in the frequency of detecting any CFUs (>0) among the four methods (p = 0.21).

Conclusions:

• All evaluated sampling techniques are effective in detecting microbiological contamination on flexible endoscopes without working channels.
• These methods can be reliably employed to verify the quality of reprocessing for such medical devices.