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Physicians: Be aware that there have been reports of patient-to-patient infections linked to ERCP procedures. A report in the lay press last year involved transmission of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) that was linked to a duodenoscope despite the fact that endoscope reprocessing followed manufacturer’s directions. Additional patient infections after ERCP now have been reported in the medical literature and may cause concern for both patients and physicians.
The problem of infection transmission lies in the complex design of duodenoscopes where the elevator channel can allow bacteria to remain after cleansing, even if reprocessing follows accepted procedures.
For AGA members: Remind patients that the therapeutic benefits of ERCP outweigh the potential low risk of infection.
AGA leadership has been working with leadership of all other GI societies, FDA and endoscopy manufacturers to help solve this critical patient safety concern. Through the AGA Center for GI Innovation and Technology, we have working relationships with the FDA device branch and the endoscope manufacturers, and we are offering our help to resolve and monitor this issue. Our goal is safe patient care with no preventable infections.
What you can do:
Follow the endoscope manufacturer’s cleansing instructions and the societies-supported reprocessing guidelines, and understand the FDA-approved use of your automated reprocessor in order to minimize the risk of duodenoscope- associated infection. Have a process to track post-procedure complications, especially infections after ERCP.
More information is available on www.gastro.org.
The video associated with this article is no longer available on this site. Please view all of our videos on the MDedge YouTube channel
Physicians: Be aware that there have been reports of patient-to-patient infections linked to ERCP procedures. A report in the lay press last year involved transmission of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) that was linked to a duodenoscope despite the fact that endoscope reprocessing followed manufacturer’s directions. Additional patient infections after ERCP now have been reported in the medical literature and may cause concern for both patients and physicians.
The problem of infection transmission lies in the complex design of duodenoscopes where the elevator channel can allow bacteria to remain after cleansing, even if reprocessing follows accepted procedures.
For AGA members: Remind patients that the therapeutic benefits of ERCP outweigh the potential low risk of infection.
AGA leadership has been working with leadership of all other GI societies, FDA and endoscopy manufacturers to help solve this critical patient safety concern. Through the AGA Center for GI Innovation and Technology, we have working relationships with the FDA device branch and the endoscope manufacturers, and we are offering our help to resolve and monitor this issue. Our goal is safe patient care with no preventable infections.
What you can do:
Follow the endoscope manufacturer’s cleansing instructions and the societies-supported reprocessing guidelines, and understand the FDA-approved use of your automated reprocessor in order to minimize the risk of duodenoscope- associated infection. Have a process to track post-procedure complications, especially infections after ERCP.
More information is available on www.gastro.org.
The video associated with this article is no longer available on this site. Please view all of our videos on the MDedge YouTube channel
Physicians: Be aware that there have been reports of patient-to-patient infections linked to ERCP procedures. A report in the lay press last year involved transmission of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) that was linked to a duodenoscope despite the fact that endoscope reprocessing followed manufacturer’s directions. Additional patient infections after ERCP now have been reported in the medical literature and may cause concern for both patients and physicians.
The problem of infection transmission lies in the complex design of duodenoscopes where the elevator channel can allow bacteria to remain after cleansing, even if reprocessing follows accepted procedures.
For AGA members: Remind patients that the therapeutic benefits of ERCP outweigh the potential low risk of infection.
AGA leadership has been working with leadership of all other GI societies, FDA and endoscopy manufacturers to help solve this critical patient safety concern. Through the AGA Center for GI Innovation and Technology, we have working relationships with the FDA device branch and the endoscope manufacturers, and we are offering our help to resolve and monitor this issue. Our goal is safe patient care with no preventable infections.
What you can do:
Follow the endoscope manufacturer’s cleansing instructions and the societies-supported reprocessing guidelines, and understand the FDA-approved use of your automated reprocessor in order to minimize the risk of duodenoscope- associated infection. Have a process to track post-procedure complications, especially infections after ERCP.
More information is available on www.gastro.org.
