According to the CDC, healthcare-acquired infections affect 5-10% of the patient population, resulting in approximately 100,000 deaths and generating nearly $20 billion in healthcare costs per year. One potential vector for infectants is exploratory scopes. Total rates of scope-related infections are not well documented, but, in January 2016, according to FDA’s Manufacturer and User Facility […]
Tag: endoscopes
The First Use of an Automated Pass-Through Reprocessor
Millions of medical procedures each year are performed using reprocessed endoscopes, flexible tubes with lights and cameras that allow physicians to see inside the patient’s body and diagnose and treat medical disorders. Though the reported incidence of hospital-acquired infections associated with endoscopes is low—1 per every 1.8 million procedures, according to the CDC—HAIs are more […]
Reprocessing Endoscopes: What is the True Cost?
After investigations found hundreds of patients may have been exposed to antibiotic-resistant superbugs in procedures using a complex endoscope, several national standard-setting organizations updated their device reprocessing guidelines. The Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates, Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses, and Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation all issued new recommendations in areas including […]