Experimental study for rapid sterilization of the flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope.

The flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope is usually sterilized by ethylene-oxide gas at 1.5 atmospheres of pressure for five hours, or by formalin gas for 24 hours. However, when more than one patient is examined with the same instrument, these gas sterilization techniques are inadequate because of time limitations. For this reason, the complete rapid sterilization of the flexible fiberbronchoscope instead of gas sterilization is done in necessary cases. For the purpose of this investigation, we selected five organisms ( Candida albicans , Klebsiella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia cob and Staphylococcus aureus ) as possible sources of contamination.