Reduce the Risk of Endoscope Cross Contamination


Cleaning your endoscopes with a fresh, never-before-used cleaning brush is one of the most important things your facility can do to mitigate the risk of cross-contamination. 


Endoscope brushes should either receive HLD/sterilization or be single-use and disposed of. When given the option, you may be tempted to cut corners, and cost, and hold on to your brushes long after it is appropriate.  


It is extremely difficult to clean a cleaning brush, impossible to check for clean with the naked eye, and the added reprocessing only increases the chance that bent bristles and twisted handles could cause instrument or patient harm. Bioluminescent ATP tests show us that even when your brush appears clean, it can harbor potential infectious microbes. Overworn bristles pose a serious patient risk if they fall or break off your brush and into your scope. Bent or twisted handles can knick, scratch, dent, or otherwise damage the internal channel.


Simply disposing of a brush, instead of reusing it scope after scope, can play an important role in preventing cross-contamination. 

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