Use of poorly functioning instrumentation can result in extended OR and anesthesia exposure, delayed cases, missed diagnoses, and potential for infection and cross contamination, which can lead to serious health consequences for patients, and significant financial risks for the hospital and clinicians.

To address these vital concerns, KARL STORZ offers the following 10 surefire tips to make certain that your endoscopic instruments are primed and ready to go when needed.

What happens when devices aren’t cleaned properly before they’re sterilized? They’re not sterile.

Blood on a light guide was found on the device after it was washed and being prepared for sterilization.

Laser damage to a rigid endoscope

Damage to a flexible fiberoptic endoscope due to soaking overnight in a caustic cleaning solution.

Improper repairs performed on a flexible fiberoptic endoscope by a third party.

Laser damage to the distal end of a flexible fiberoptic endoscope

1. The SPD staff should be thoroughly educated on the design, components and use of endoscopic devices.

2. The SPD staff must also be thoroughly trained in the handling of endoscopes in the OR and should be reminded of their obligation to properly secure endoscopes back into their protective containers as a first step at the end of procedures. The best source for this information is the manufacturer’s literature and representatives.

3. Because a wide variety of devices are processed through the SPD, in-depth staff training should be focused on specific devices that are particularly critical and pose the greatest impact if there is a problem.

4. To protect patients, it is critical for the decontamination staff to be diligent in cleaning endoscopes. The literature is full of reports where shortcuts resulted in harm to patients.

5. Decontamination is a particularly hazardous time for endoscopes, owing to the other equipment present in the area and the potential for rough handling.

6. To ensure proper reprocessing, staff members must be properly trained on inspection techniques to ensure that endoscopes are in proper working order. Video endoscopes present a problem as they cannot be inspected for image quality without a camera control unit, light source and viewing monitor.

7. Failure to perform recommended procedures, such as leak tests, brushing, flushing and disposal of single-use valves, as well as the inappropriate use of chemicals, can lead to damage and may result in contaminated endo-scopes being used in the OR.

8. To make certain that endoscopes are sterilized correctly, the manufacturer’s recommended sterilization methods must be followed.

9. When being stored, containers must be the appropriate size to hold the components and prevent endoscope from moving within the container.