GASTROENTEROLOGY ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
April 11, 2002
Nelson D. Transmission of infection during gastrointestinal endoscopy. Clinical Update 2002;9(3):1-4
1. Sterilization (as opposed to disinfection) of endoscopes
a. Can only be achieved by autoclaving
b. Can be safely achieved by exposing the endoscopes to liquid chemical germicides for a prolonged period of time
c. Results in clinically significant reductions in transmission of infection
d. Should be done each time the endoscope is used in a patient with a known infectious disease of the GI tract.
True or False
2. If there is concern regarding the cleanliness of an endoscope, it should be autoclaved prior to further use.
3. Endoscopes are considered devices in need of semicritical level of disinfection as they come in contact with intact mucous membranes, high level disinfection is all that is required.
4. The most critical step in endoscopy reprocessing is the disinfection step
5. Only 2.4% glutaraldehyde is approved as a liquid chemical germicide to disinfect endoscopes.
6. An adequate manual cleaning prior to disinfection reduces the microbial contamination by 99%.
7. The approximate risk of transmitting an infection through endoscopy is 1 in 1.8 million cases.
8. Hepatitis C and HIV viruses are very sensitive to disinfection and are easily killed in the process.
9. Endoscopy is an efficient way to transmit “Mad Cow” disease when the endoscope is used in a cow and then in a human.