Some healthcare experts suggest using preassembled toolkits to collect and process samples from endoscopes. Researchers recently examined the feasibility and utility of such tools in a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control.
The researchers used a toolkit to aseptically sample various ports channels of five gastroscopes, five colonoscopes and five bronchoscopes after full reprocessing. Laboratory tests of the samples detected bacteria on more than half (60 percent) of the patient-ready endoscopes, including viable microbes on two gastroscopes, three colonoscopes and four bronchoscopes.
The lab tests also found Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in the water used for reprocessing.
Ultimately, the study found "Speciation allowed identification of potential pathogens and a possible common contamination source, demonstrating that microbial cultures may have value even when colony counts are low."
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