ENDOSCOPE VALVE TRACEABILITY STRENGTHENING Infection Prevention Protocols

Traceability is a critical component of processing endoscopes and reusable endoscope accessories that ensures the ability to track and trace devices back to an individual patient. Accessories like endoscope air/water, suction, biopsy valves and cleaning adapters are particularly difficult to track 553411919012 when processed separately as they “do not have any individual identification numbers” 1 on these devices. To achieve traceability, AORN recommends to “process reusable endoscope parts and accessories with the endoscope” 2 as a unique set, which can be inconvenient and challenging for facilities...

CONTAMINATION RISK • “Re-usable valves (air/water and suction) used in endoscopes are multi-component, structurally complex devices; as such, cleaning and disinfection are extremely difficult” 3 (Pasquale, 2021). “Meticulous adherence to the reprocessing instructions is labor intensive and prone to human error” 4 (FDA, 2015). A private study by the Nova Group 5 in 2011, concluded that bacteria, yeast, molds, and bacterial spores were detected on 56% of the reprocessed, disinfected, and patient ready valves that were submitted for testing. Processed & Patient-Ready Reusable Valve Tested: 5 56.3%...

SOCIETY GUIDELINES Society guidelines remind us to focus on Infection Control. • “Since almost all outbreaks are related to breaches in reprocessing techniques, it is crucial that endoscope cleaning, disinfection, and drying are performed to a strict protocol.” 6 • Accessories like “re-usable air/water and suction valves used in endoscopes often demonstrate risk of infection.” 3 • “Processing of certain reusable endoscope components ….requires the same level of inspection, cleaning, and high-level disinfection or sterilization as the endoscope themselves” 7 (AAMI/ANSI, ST91:2021). • “Infection...