Transport of reprocessed Endoscopes to remote sites

[Anonymous]

Hello brains trust

I have what I think is a silly question to ask, as I have been asked to explore the possibility of centralising the reprocessing of endoscopes to our main facility.

Currently the endoscopes including; gastroscopes and colonoscopes are reprocessed in an automated endoscope reprocessor (AER) at our rural facilities. The AERs use a liquid chemical process to either achieve high level disinfection or chemical sterilisation dependant on facility & AER type available. Our equipment requires an upgrade and funding is always a challenge!

My question then; is it possible to reprocess complex endoscopes centrally?
Considering the reprocessed scopes would be transported via road (approx. 2 hours), and returned following use.

I have not heard of any systems available that would make this possible. I can foresee several risks with this approach including;

* The microbiocidal quality of the reprocessed scope is unable to be maintained during transport
* These are fragile devices, requiring a secure transport container that must be able to be cleaned, current recommended “shipping” cases would not meet that criteria.
* Due to the state of the roads at high risk of damage during transport
* Would be unable to reprocess the used devices within the recommended timeframes (30 minutes)
* Would require a larger fleet of devices to meet service delivery
* High risk of cancelling a patient, due to scope failure.

Any feedback or assistance would appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Mandy Davidson
RN; GCert Inf Pre & Cont; MPHTM; Cert III Sterilisation; Cert IV TAE; Immunisation cred; CICP-A
Clinical Nurse Consultant – 4187 compliance & PPE Stores
Infection Prevention & Control

[cid:image002.png@01D6FDFB.C075E9E0]
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07 4433 1873 | 0402 987 432
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Mandy.Davidson@health.qld.gov.au
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http://www.health.qld.gov.au/townsville

Townsville Hospital and Health Service
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