Bacteriological Study on a New Washer with Running Water for Fiberoptic Endoscopes.

Sterilization of the flexible laryngeal fiberscope was tested with a newly designed washer which uses running water. Its efficacy was studied in 102 patients undergoing endoscopic examinations.The main part of the washer was a cloro-vinyl pipe 16 mm in diameter, into which the fiberscope was inserted, and fresh water was kept flowing for 3 minutes. Statistically, 1.65 strains of bacteria were detected at the tip of the endoscopes immediately after endoscopic examinations.The incidence of the cases which all strains of bacteria detected before washing were disappeared was 83.3%, and the non effective cases by washing were 9.8%. The cases were 24.5% which a few new strains of bacteria never detected pre-washing were appeared postwashing. These strains of bacteria detected after washing were small in quantity and revealed pathologically low grade. The tips of the nasal endoscopes used in patients with epistaxis all had negative occult blood tests after washing for 5 minutes. The use of the washer was considered to be clinicaly effective in the occasion of the continuous endoscopy.