Don’t let your endoscope drip-dry, and please, remember to wash your hands. The World Gastroenterology Organisation’s updated endoscope reprocessing guidelines are full of practical strategies and advice for reducing infection risk.
The update reiterates the importance of fighting biofilm and puts a spotlight on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography as the procedure most commonly linked to bacterial outbreaks.
“Biofilm, or buildup of accumulated biofilm, does occur in flexible endoscopes. The prior expectation was that this would not happen because the endoscopes are supposed to be fully processed, disinfected and stored dry,” said guideline author Michelle Alfa, MSc, PhD, FCCM, a professor at the University of Manitoba, in Winnipeg. “The reality is that biofilm buildup does occur, in both the air–water channels and instrument channels.”