Endoscope reprocessing using glutaraldehyde in endoscopy services of Goiânia, Brazil

Abstract

-Context -The endoscopic procedure safety depends on the use of an adequately reprocessed device which quality is related to each of its operational steps. Objective -To characterize the reprocessing of endoscopes using glutaraldehyde in endoscopy services Methods -Study was conducted by observing the reprocessing of 60 endoscopes from 20 medical practices of the municipality of Goiânia, GO, central area of Brazil. Results -This study showed failure in all reprocessing steps. The pre-washing was performed in 24 (40.0%) of the endoscope. In the cleaning steps, was identify the improper use of enzymatic detergent, and in 27 (45.0%) cases, the brushing of internal channels was not performed. All 60 endoscopes were submitted to this disinfectant. However, for 33 (55.0%) of the cases the internal channels was not filled. The total immersion of endoscope in the glutaraldehyde was not performed in 39 (65.0%) cases. The recommended minimum total immersion time for exposure to 2% glutaraldehyde solution was followed only for 12 (20.0%) endoscopes. There was no filter for water treatment used in the rinse of most endoscopes 54 (90.0%) and to dry the internal channels only 6 (10.0%) of them used compressed air. Adequate storing conditions were identified. Conclusion -Considering the particularities of the endoscope and its reprocessing, it is imperative to establish protocols to ensure the quality of the disinfection and the prevention of cross-contamination.

The Effectiveness of Drying on Residual Droplets, Microorganisms, and Biofilms in Gastrointestinal Endoscope Reprocessing: A Systematic Review

“…Lack of Dryness. Two articles investigated gastrointestinal endoscope dryness [18,19]. Barbosa et al [18] evaluated a total of sixty endoscope reprocessing proce-dures in twenty institutions, and the results showed that there were some deficiencies in the reprocessing procedures; however, those in drying were the most serious.…”

Effectiveness of Flexible Gastrointestinal Endoscope Reprocessing

“…Noncompliance with the exposure time of endoscopes to high-level disinfection for the time recommended on the label of the products was demonstrated in this study and is in accordance with the findings of other studies. 8,11 It was found that the majority of recommendations aimed at high-level disinfection were followed by the professionals responsible for reprocessing. Nevertheless, it is important to note that paying attention only to the disinfection process did not necessarily ensure the absence of contamination or safe devices for use in patients.…”

Effectiveness of current disinfection procedures against biofilm on contaminated GI endoscopes

“…The adequate reprocessing to achieve highlevel of disinfection represent a special challenge for flexible endoscopes. This scenario can be even worse in developing countries, where services are usually limited to manual processing, and may have low adherence to reprocessing protocols 1, 13 .…”