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Article: Beyond cleaning: reprocessing flexible GI endoscopes successfully.(Scope Cleaning Guide)(Cover Story)
- Article from:
- Healthcare Purchasing News
- Article date:
- November 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Healthcare Purchasing News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Today, it is hard to imagine that anyone remotely associated with the gastrointestinal (GI) department has not heard of the risks and problems associated with improper or inadequate reprocessing of flexible endoscopy equipment.
A flexible endoscope, as with any medical instrumentation, cannot be high-level disinfected or sterilized without first being meticulously cleaned. Taking shortcuts in cleaning with the idea that high-level disinfection or sterilization still render the scope safe for patients is an approach guaranteed to put patients at risk. The "Sterile Dirt" theory just doesn't cut it. There are several published examples of patient infections ...