Almost three-quarters — 71 percent — of reusable endoscopes deemed ready for use on patients in three hospitals had microbial growth, a study in the American Journal of Infection Control found.
Here are four things to know.
1. The study assessed the effectiveness of endoscope reprocessing, drying and storage practices at three hospitals.
2. The researchers detected fluid in 22 of 45 — 49 percent — of endoscopes.
3. On the endoscopes with microbial growth, the study authors found Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Citrobacter freundii and Lecanicillium lecanii/Verticillium dahliae.
4. All three sites used damaged endoscopes.
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