Endoscopes are hard to clean due to all the little crevices where pathogens can hide, and this has led to quite a bit of controversy in the last couple of years. While more attention has been bestowed on this problem, there’s still a lot of work left to do to improve cleaning procedures, as a recent study showed, so one can’t be fully confident that a reused endoscope is free of contaminants. Hygiena, a company based in Camarillo, California, is now releasing a product that helps to verify that a cleaning has been done properly and that an endoscope is ready to be disinfected and sterilized.
SuperSnap is an integrated, all-in-one disposable device incorporating robust reagents and a swab for surface sample collection from the hand controls and distal end of the endoscope. A long swab is also available to collect samples from the internal channels. AquaSnap is another integrated device designed to collect liquid samples and can be used on the same system to verify water quality.
Once a sample is taken, it can then be run against Hygiena’s EnSure luminometer adenosine triphosphate (ATP) test system or that of another company. Since ATP is a component of all bodily fluids, the test verifies the cleanliness, but not the sterility of the endoscope. Following a green light from the ATP test, the person cleaning the endoscope knows that bodily fluids will not be present to help protect any bacteria lurking within the nooks of the device.
Product page: SuperSnap…
Via: Hygiena…
Note: This post was updated with the correct name of the product and updated images.