A comparison of two devices for the manual cleaning of flexible gastrointestinal endoscopes in a clinical setting

Abstract

The ‘Pull Thru’ [Novapharm Research Aust. Pty Ltd], a new device designed for cleaning the biopsy/suction channel of flexible gastrointestinal endoscopes, was compared to reusable brushes in a clinical setting. A total of 53 endoscopes were tested with a microbiological assay. Directly after removing the endoscope from the patient, a sterile saline solution was flushed down the biopsy channel to provide a ‘before clean’ estimate of bioburden. Following a cleaning protocol with either of two manual cleaning devices – i.e. one pass with a Pull Thru or six passes with a reusable brush – a second volume of saline solution was used to provide an ‘after clean’ estimate. The protocols were compared for Log₁₀Reduction in colony-forming units (cfu)/mL between the ‘before clean’ and ‘after clean’ samples. No significant difference was found between the two cleaning protocols (P=0.058) using a combined factorial analysis. The adjusted means for Log₁₀Reduction (cfu/mL) were 3.003 (brush) and 3.302 (Pull Thru) with a standard error of difference of 0.154. It is concluded that the cleaning efficacy of one pass with the Pull Thru was as effective as six passes with a reusable brush.