CDC - Blogs - Safe Healthcare – Infection Prevention and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

full-text ►CDC - Blogs - Safe Healthcare – Infection Prevention and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: "Infection Prevention and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Categories: Healthcare-associated infections, Outpatient Care

July 14th, 2011 5:44 am ET - DHQP
Bret T. Petersen, MD, FASGE

Bret T. Petersen, MD, FASGE

Author – Bret T. Petersen, MD, FASGE,
Chairman, Quality Assurance in Endoscopy Committee,
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Reports of infections subsequent to gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy intermittently gain national media coverage. Significant clusters of hepatitis, in Las Vegas (2007) and in New York (2003), highlight the risks of insufficient care with medication administration during sedation. Other incidents, such as those at the Veterans’ hospitals in 2008, have been related to potential risks from lapses in reprocessing of endoscopes between patients. These occurrences have not identified significant clusters of infection, yet they highlight the importance of constant diligence with regards to reprocessing in both hospital and outpatient settings.

To date, all published occurrences of pathogen transmission related to GI endoscopy have been associated with failure to follow established cleaning and disinfection/sterilization guidelines or use of defective equipment, but, it is unclear how widespread the problem of potential exposure may be. A June 2010 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at 68 ASCs in three states and found that 28.4 percent failed to adhere to recommended practices regarding reprocessing of equipment.

National standards for reprocessing exist in the form of the multisociety guidelines initially developed by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) in 2003. The efficacy of decontamination and high-level disinfection is unchanged and the principles guiding both remain valid, however, given the recurring attention, ASGE and SHEA, along with nine other organizations, updated the guideline in June 2011. For more information visit: “Multisociety guideline on reprocessing flexible gastrointestinal endoscopes: 2011 ► http://www.asge.org/uploadedFiles/Publications_and_Products/Practice_Guidelines/Multisociety%20guideline%20on%20reprocessing%20flexible%20gastrointestinal.pdf..”

Optimal reprocessing techniques are also highlighted in an ASGE course entitled Improving Quality and Safety in Your Endoscopy Unit. The course is part of ASGE’s Endoscopy Unit Recognition Program ► ASGE: Endoscopic Unit Recognition Program: "- Enviado mediante la barra Google". which recognizes units undertaking this training and operating under policies stipulated by this guideline and others from the ASGE and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pertaining to credentialing, privileging and infection control.

Strict adherence to reprocessing guidelines is necessary to protect the health of our patients and to foster the public’s confidence in our endoscopic services.

▲ Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC)↓
Editorial note: Additional resource available – CDC/HICPAC Guideline: 2008 Disinfection and Sterilization Guideline ► CDC - Publications - HICPAC: "- Enviado mediante la barra Google"

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