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Pro tip: if getting a colonoscopy, always always get the first appointment of the day. I work in med devices and ummm those scopes still have poop left over bet
by univalent 7y ago
Pro tip: if getting a colonoscopy, always always get the first appointment of the day. I work in med devices and ummm those scopes still have poop left over between procedures. Its not harmful, but still...
- CathedralBorrow 7y agoWhy are they not cleaned thoroughly? Just curious.
- cgriswald 7y agoAnd if they are and yet still contain fecal matter, how does going in the next day help? Your appointment is still after someone else's. Do they use a new scope?
- jessaustin 7y agoTheoretically, some bacteria could have died overnight, which would be good. In general, simple instruments constructed of stainless steel or other solid non-porous materials are easy to wash off and autoclave. Complicated constructions in which multiple parts fit precisely inside other parts constructed of different materials are not easy to wash and autoclave. Scope manufacturers would be encouraged to design more sensibly if physicians could be held accountable for cross-contamination. This would require a more aggressive regulatory regime.
- cgriswald 7y agoI am trying to make sense of the original post while stipulating that the claim about it not being harmful is true. Assuming only sterile fecal matter is left on the device, how does having an appointment the next day help? He seems to be suggesting that the fecal matter can be avoided by a gap of 16 hours versus a gap of (say) 30 minutes. I'm at a loss for the mechanism by which this might occur.
- univalent 7y agoI work on the video side of things and know nothing about the mech eng part. What I can tell you is that during the day there is definitely fecal matter in the scope one case to another during the day after after autoclave and sterilization. The first case of the day, the scope is clean. I don't know what's different about overnight processing in the sterile processing department. And I've seen this at many hospitals. There's been some startups that have tried sheaths to cover the scope but could not make it work.
- jessaustin 7y agoThe difference you cite between the per-patient and daily cleaning, disgusts any human who learns of it. The only studies showing that sort-of clean scopes are safe were funded by the scope manufacturers. This is problematic.
- meristem 7y agoThere are design issues currently being worked on to minimize crevices and spaces where bacteria may remain (redesign) or avoid the issue completely (design and implement disposable endoscopic heads)
- technofiend 7y agoI'm no expert but aren't you exposing one patient to the previous patient's poop? There could be anything from a lovely c-diff payload to something the next guy is allegeric to like nuts. As a layperson it hardly seems harmless.
- Defenestresque 7y agoI have a feeling OP means they are sterilized or autoclaved but some (now non-dangerous) particles remain as there is no medical point in thoroughly cleaning them after sterilization. Which would make sense.
- Frost1x 7y agoPeople get a bit paranoid about how "clean" things are. I for one am not as concerned about how "clean" something looks but how potentially harmful it is to my livelihood. Looks can be deceiving, either way, without considering the entire situation. Something that looks unclean can be sterile and harmless while something sterile and visually clean can be incredibly harmful as well (e.g. water with certain toxins or compounds).
- univalent 7y agoExactly.
- vikramkr 7y agoThe first (not sure if reputable) article I came across regarding this suggests that this is absolutely a major public health concern and maybe people working in medical devices passing it off as harmless is part of the problem... https://www.focusforhealth.org/need-a-colonoscopy-the-one-question-you-must-ask-before-any-endoscopic-procedure/ https://www.focusforhealth.org/need-a-colonoscopy-the-one-qu...
- vikramkr 7y agoWait for real? How would that not be insanely dangerous and risky in terms of fecal cross contamination and disease transfer? Do you have a source for standard treatment procedure to not include using a sterilized scope?
- clajiness 7y agoHuh. I asked my retired endo nurse mom about that, and she said (at least at her hospital), that’s not possible. So, I’d recommend not going to the hospitals this dude services.
- univalent 7y agoCompany that tried and failed to make a sheath: https://www.giejournal.org/article/S0016-5107(08)00014-X/abstract https://www.giejournal.org/article/S0016-5107(08)00014-X/abs... Some of the clinical challenges https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2001037016300617 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S200103701...
- Fomite 7y agoWith the exception of an actual emergency (i.e. "We need to see inside them or they will die, we'll deal with the infection risk later) doing this in most hospitals I know is one of the better ways to sign up for the infection control team paying you a visit.
- LorenPechtel 7y agoIf they're not being cleaned adequately report it to the medical board.