The latest advancement in flexible endoscope cleaning

Previously, technicians have had to rely on the ability of the brush they’re using to perform the task and they put complete faith that if the brush is coming out clean, then the flexible endoscope must be clean. There are brush guidelines and best practices to try and ensure flexible endoscopes are cleaned sufficiently, but unless the correct size brush is being used and the most suitable technique applied, the brush may simply miss dirt in the channel. Such guidelines and recommendations can include “the size (length and diameter) and type of cleaning brush should appropriately match the size and type of the endoscope channel to ensure contact with channel walls, and access to all small/narrow lumens” ². It is known that some companies recommend, and hospital technicians use a one size fits all type brush, which can allow dirt and debris to slip pass the brush, which can lead to infections. After all, logic would suggest that any brush that can compress down a 1.2mm tube cannot possess much strength when facing a channel size four times larger. A brush needs to use the tips of the bristles to clear out any dirt/debris and therefore requires some strength behind them to achieve this. One size fits all channels are much flimsier than brushes that are created to fit the specific lumen size required.