Enhancing emergency endoscopy efficiency with an additional suction channel: In vitro assessment

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Medical Devices
• Endoscopic Technology

Background:

• Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage management is challenged by blood clots and food debris during endoscopic procedures.
• Effective aspiration of clots and viscous fluids is crucial for successful emergency endoscopic interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of an additional suction channel (ASC) integrated onto a standard gastroscope.
• To determine if the ASC enhances the aspiration of clots and viscous fluids compared to standard gastroscopes.

Main Methods:

• An additional suction channel (ASC), a 5.3-mm suction catheter, was mounted on a 2.8-mm standard gastroscope.
• Suction efficacy was tested in vitro using gastroscopes with 2.8 mm, 3.7 mm, and 6 mm working channel diameters.
• Aspiration of water, fruit yogurt, and coagulated blood was measured, with and without the BioVac system.

Main Results:

• The ASC significantly improved suction performance across all tested media.
• The 2.8-mm gastroscope with ASC demonstrated superior aspiration of water and yogurt compared to other configurations.
• For clotted blood, the ASC significantly reduced evacuation times, outperforming all setups except the 6-mm + BioVac system.

Conclusions:

• A standard gastroscope equipped with an ASC significantly enhances suction performance in an in vitro model.
• The ASC-equipped gastroscope outperformed larger-channel gastroscopes in certain aspiration tasks.
• Further ex vivo validation is recommended to assess the clinical applicability of this enhanced gastroscope system.