Identification and resolution of contamination causes found in flexible endoscopes

Although not a requirement for quality control in acute care hospitals, one method of maintaining objective data to verify that endoscopes are contaminant free and not a causative factor in nosocomial infectious is the collection of cultures. There are methods of obtaining cultures from the air, water, and suction channels of flexible endoscopes that require adapters and specific procedures. When automatic disinfectors are connected to public water supplies, this factor should be considered when determining a source of contamination.