Managing Endoscopes

New Research Shows Current Scope Cleaning Processes Not Rigorous Enough

A seven-month study recently published by the American Journal of Infection Control found that 60% of gastroscopes and colonoscopes examined tested positive for certain bacterial growth. These bacteria were detected even after being disinfected using the current manufacturer guidelines or additional measures. The scopes examined as part of the study were all manufactured by Olympus […]

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Potential Outbreaks Related To Gastroscopes Revealed

A potential superbug linked to contaminated gastroscopes at UPMC in Pittsburgh, PA was discussed in a recent article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (01/03/17). The author, Dr. Lawrence Muscarella, wrote that the infected gastroscopes may have infected up to 6 patients with carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP), a deadly superbug. This article by Gordon Gibb of LawyersandSettlements.com

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Some Fuji Duodenoscopes Pulled From Market

FujiFilm Medical Systems, USA Endoscopy Division (“FMSU-ESD”) declared this week that it is removing some of its older model duodenoscopes from the market. According to FujiFilm, the ED-250XL5, ED-250XT5, ED-450XL5, and ED-450XT5 model duodenoscopes are the models that are being recalled. Per a press release from FujiFilm, which can be found here: “These devices are

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Endoscope Market Showing No Signs of Slowing Down

Technavio, a technology research and advisory company, has released a five-year forecast for the global gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy devices market. Their research shows an expected cumulative average growth rate of nearly 6% from 2016-2020. This large and growing market is expected to reach a total size of $5 billion by 2020. The global move towards

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How Will Recent FDA Guidance On Endoscope Reprocessing Impact Hospitals?

With all the recent outbreaks related to flexible endoscope usage, proper cleaning of scopes continues to be top of mind for hospitals and patients. The FDA has recently released guidance on mitigating the risk from cross-contamination of scopes, which can be found here. Whether or not this guidance will help reduce the likelihood of a

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Endoscope Reprocessing Again Near the Top of Health Technology Hazards List for 2017

A leading organization again named Endoscope Reprocessing one of its top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2017. For several years now, ECRI Institute has listed Endoscope Reprocessing near the top of its annual list of health technology hazards. ECRI (www.ecri.org), a nonprofit organization, dedicates itself to bringing the discipline of applied scientific research to healthcare

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Silence on Endoscope-Related Outbreaks Continues

Senior executives at Olympus have recently declined to make any comment regarding emails that have surfaced in an investigation by Kaiser Health News and the Los Angeles Times. The emails seem to point to Olympus managers treating the infection risk to patients due to improper cleaning of duodenoscopes as “acceptable.” This article found at Kaiser

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Preventing 5 Common Mistakes in Endoscope Reprocessing

Progress in patient safety has been a challenge in many areas of the hospital and many facilities have made significant changes in their practice of reprocessing endoscopes.  With this said, guidelines and practice are in a continuous state of change. It is the responsibility of the hospital to make sure they do not become too

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Teamwork and Technology to Create a Safer Hospital: Parallels between the Hospital and Other “Mission Critical” Teams

Charles Cowles, Anesthesiologist and Chief Perioperative Safety Officer (MD Anderson Cancer Center) has leveraged his experience as a firefighter and exposure to other industries to discuss how hospitals can build on their patient safety committees taking a departmental team approach. As more medical errors are reported, Dr Cowles noted the severity of preventable errors with

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