Laura Gavaldà1, Ana Rosa Olmo2, Raquel Hernández2, M Angeles Domínguez3, Mathew Robert Salamonsen4, Josefina Ayats3, Fernando Alcaide3, Ana Soriano5, Antoni Rosell2. 1. Preventive Medicine Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, Spain. Electronic address: lgavalda@bellvitgehospital.cat. 2. Respiratory Diseases Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, Spain. 3. Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, Spain. 4. The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Thoracic Medicine, Herston, Queensland, Australia. 5. Preventive Medicine Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, Spain.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Routine microbiological surveillance of flexible bronchoscopes is recommended in different guidelines. The study aims to assess whether bronchoscopes reprocessing methods achieved an appropriate decontamination level and whether manual flushing of 70% ethyl alcohol at the end of the cycle reduces the risk of microbiological contamination. METHODS: 18 different bronchoscopes were cultured on a monthly basis during a four-year period to examine growing of bacteria, fungi and mycobacteria. 9 equipment were usually disinfected using automatic reprocessors, and the other 9 equipments were manually disinfected. Additional manual flushing of bronchoscope's channels with 70% ethyl alcohol at the end of each disinfection cycle, was implemented for automatically reprocessed equipments for a two-year period. RESULTS: A total of 620 samples were obtained. 564 samples (91.0%) tested negative and 56 samples (9%) tested positive for at least one specimen, of whom 3% were pathogenic or potentially pathogenic microorganisms. Only one positive sample was detected among the 167 alcohol treated bronchoscopes (0.6%), whereas before the introduction of this technique the percentage of contamination with risk pathogens was 4.1% (p = 0.04). The mean annual cost of the surveillance program was estimated at 23,035 euros, and the mean cost for bronchoscope was 111.5 euros. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study support to improve the final reprocessing of bronchoscope channels by means of additional manual flushing with 70% ethyl alcohol after each disinfection cycle. Routine microbiologic monitoring of endoscopes is both time-consuming and expensive but could be saved by implementing a highly efficient decontaminating procedure.
BACKGROUND: Routine microbiological surveillance of flexible bronchoscopes is recommended in different guidelines. The study aims to assess whether bronchoscopes reprocessing methods achieved an appropriate decontamination level and whether manual flushing of 70% ethyl alcohol at the end of the cycle reduces the risk of microbiological contamination. METHODS: 18 different bronchoscopes were cultured on a monthly basis during a four-year period to examine growing of bacteria, fungi and mycobacteria. 9 equipment were usually disinfected using automatic reprocessors, and the other 9 equipments were manually disinfected. Additional manual flushing of bronchoscope's channels with 70% ethyl alcohol at the end of each disinfection cycle, was implemented for automatically reprocessed equipments for a two-year period. RESULTS: A total of 620 samples were obtained. 564 samples (91.0%) tested negative and 56 samples (9%) tested positive for at least one specimen, of whom 3% were pathogenic or potentially pathogenic microorganisms. Only one positive sample was detected among the 167 alcohol treated bronchoscopes (0.6%), whereas before the introduction of this technique the percentage of contamination with risk pathogens was 4.1% (p = 0.04). The mean annual cost of the surveillance program was estimated at 23,035 euros, and the mean cost for bronchoscope was 111.5 euros. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study support to improve the final reprocessing of bronchoscope channels by means of additional manual flushing with 70% ethyl alcohol after each disinfection cycle. Routine microbiologic monitoring of endoscopes is both time-consuming and expensive but could be saved by implementing a highly efficient decontaminating procedure.
Authors: Hemant Goyal; Sara Larsen; Abhilash Perisetti; Nikolaj Birk Larsen; Lotte Klinten Ockert; Sven Adamsen; Benjamin Tharian; Nirav Thosani Journal: Endosc Int Open Date: 2022-06-10
Authors: Javier Flandes; Luis Fernando Giraldo-Cadavid; Javier Alfayate; Iker Fernández-Navamuel; Carlos Agusti; Carmen M Lucena; Antoni Rosell; Felipe Andreo; Carmen Centeno; Carmen Montero; Iria Vidal; Lucía García-Alfonso; Antonio Bango; Miguel Ariza; Rocío Gallego; Marta Orta; Salvador Bello; Elisa Mincholé; Alfons Torrego; Virginia Pajares; Héctor González; Aurelio Luis Wangüemert; Julio Pérez-Izquierdo; Carlos Disdier; Blanca de Vega Sanchez; Rosa Cordovilla; Juan Cascón; Antonio Cruz; J Javier García-López; Luis Puente; Paola Benedetti; Cristina L García-Gallo; Gema Díaz Nuevo; Silvia Aguado; Concepción Partida; Prudencio Díaz-Agero; Estefanía Luque Crespo; María Pavón; Francisco Páez; Enrique Cases; Raquel Martínez; Andrés Briones; Cleofe Fernández; Concepción Martín Serrano; Ana Maria Uribe-Hernández; Jose Robles Journal: Respir Res Date: 2020-12-02