Current guidelines say duodenoscopes' hang time should be limited to 14 days, but a study published in the April edition of American Journal of Infection Control found the scopes can sit for much longer without putting patients at risk.
Researchers cultured 18 duodenoscopes 531 times for the study. Hang time — time from reprocessing to sampling — ranged from less than a day to nearly 40 days, including 34 with a hang time of longer than a week. Just 12 cultures showed bacterial contamination in a scope's elevator mechanism or working channel.
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"We did not find a significant association between hang time and risk of duodenoscope contamination," the researchers wrote. "Future guidelines should consider a recommendation of no limit for hang time."