PROBLEM SOLVED – ISSUE NO. 466

Mysteries, whether on TV or in a book, have a way of truly entertaining an audience. We get to engage our critical thinking skills when we try to deduce what Sherlock Holmes will discover next. We enjoy the adrenaline rush when the protagonist is faced with its antagonist. After investigations, gathering of evidence, and many trips to the lab, the mystery is solved. Finally, we feel fulfilled knowing how it ends. It was so obvious, after all, given the trail of clues left behind. Similarly, medical device reprocessing professionals, must act as detectives. They too must do some investigating, but on medical instrumentation, such as flexible endoscopes. However, the clues left behind are biological material, such as blood and protein, and the true criminals are pathogenic organisms that may be hiding within biological material. These pathogenic organisms may cause health care associated infections in patients if left behind on inadequately cleaned flexible endoscopes. That is why it is important that reprocessing professionals verify that flexible endoscopes are truly clean. Like all good detectives, they need the right tools to do the job. EndoCheck™ chemistry kits allow easy and quick detection of blood or protein, depending on the test, within the internal channels of flexible endoscopes. Swab the inside of the channel, cut off the tip of the swab into the vial, shake, and observe. A change in color, depending on the test used, will indicate the presence of protein or blood. EndoCheck™ for Blood can detect 0.1 µg of blood and EndoCheck™ for Protein can detect down to 1 µg of insoluble protein. Swab, detection vial(s), sterile scissors, sterile water, and IFU are included in the kit. Swab sizes available range from 1.0-5.0 mm. Click here to view a document on appropriate swab sizing. At last, we can channel our inner detective and track down unwanted culpable contaminants before they wreak havoc within our health care facilities. This is possible thanks to EndoCheck™.