A borescope took these not-so-pretty pictures of the internal channels of endoscopes. These were taken after the endoscopes had been reprocessed and were deemed patient-ready. Not so fast. The scopes didn't just fail visual inspection. They (photo) bombed it. As you can see, the borescope captured possible blood residue, a kinked biopsy channel, and a damaged and scratched biopsy channel.

So what is going on inside of your device and instrument channels and lumens? If only you could see, there's moisture, debris, discoloration and scratches. Bioburden is building up. But how do you know? The answer: a borescope, which uses a small but durable high-resolution insertion tube to examine the full length of each lumen inside your equipment so you can verify what is happening in the "dark places and spaces." It does so with a small display unit that is easy for your department staff to set up, use and document findings.

Why is this important? First and foremost is patient safety. You can't use devices and instruments with bioburden and damage on patients. Not only that, but even minor damage can cause the instrument or device to not perform as intended during the procedure. This leads to surgeon dissatisfaction.

And what else do you need to know about that minor device damage you see inside your channels? It can, and often will, become major damage if you don't address it. Use the borescope to identify minor damage and send the item out for repair to avoid more costly, major damage.

A worthwhile step

The borescope evaluation adds a few steps to the decontamination process. When adding the borescope, the cleaning process goes like this:

• manual cleaning and leak testing;
• testing of residual soils (at many facilities);
• a borescope evaluation and then;
• high-level disinfection or sterilization.

Timing is based on facility preference. Some hold off on using the borescope until after full reprocessing.

With patient safety and surgeon satisfaction so important, these few extra steps are well worth it. No facility wants to be the next "superbug" headline.

Let's think about biopsy channels. It's typically a Teflon material. The material must be stiff enough so it keeps its shape, but pliable enough that articulation of the distal end remains possible. Imagine taking a coffee stir straw and bending it in half. It creates a crease in the material that is always there. If you try to bend the straw again, it will bend in the same place. Over time, this repeated bending could cause a break or hole to occur at the bend. Using a borescope, you could see these kinks (or creases) before the channel loses its integrity.

When even small holes occur, fluid can invade your scope, and there's a high likelihood internal components will be damaged and corroded. Again, you can prevent this by catching the damage early on. With your eyes on the inside, aided by magnification and extra light, you can keep your endoscopes clean and functional.

Look into those dark places and spaces. Identify bioburden and damage, protect your patients, keep your surgeons happy and avoid costly major device damage. OSM