Saturday, May 18, 2024

7:00 AM - 8:00 AM

Redlands/Lockyer Rooms

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Overview

Kindly sponsored by Nanosonics

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Details

Flexible endoscopes have been associated with the greatest number of patient infections when compared to other reusable medical devices. The body of evidence shows that patient ready endoscopes can remain contaminated despite high level disinfection or sterilization, warranting review of upstream processes. Ineffective manual cleaning of the inner channels is one of the major root causes of biofilm formation and failed disinfection in flexible endoscopes. This session will deliver a crosswalk of the medical literature on cleaning challenges and propose a framework for evaluating next generation cleaning technologies. A novel automated endoscope channel cleaning technology under development to help address these infection risks will be reviewed. Learning Objectives • Describe the challenges associated with manual cleaning of endoscopes and implications for infection risk • Identify the role of biofilm in persistent contamination and evidence demonstrating resistance of some biofilms to high level disinfectants • Review key criteria for evaluating new cleaning technologies centred on patient and staff safety and workflow • Discuss next generation channel cleaning technology under development to address these issues