[IAKaren]

Hi all. I'm new to this board and have learned alot from the forum already. I am posting a question on behalf of my other colleagues in our Endo Unit. We process our scopes using the Steris machine. We do anywhere from 20-30 endoscopies per day and have three machines so they do get a work out. It seems however like they are breaking down constantly and we often have at least one out of service for the day waiting for the Steris repairman. This occurs at least once a week. Then we end up doing some of them by hand or transporting them to the OR or central sterilizing and no one likes running dirty scopes around through the halls. Is anyone else that's using Steris machines having this kind of trouble? It's kind of frustrating and would appreciate everyone's thoughts. Thanks in advance for your help

[bjellisrn1]

Originally Posted by IAKaren

Is anyone else that's using Steris machines having this kind of trouble? It's kind of frustrating and would appreciate everyone's thoughts. Thanks in advance for your help

I work in a small facility and we do up to 8 (I know it's not 30, but we like it this way right now )procedures a day. Yes we use the Steris to clean our scopes and it always seems as if our scopes are needing repairs. We have Olympus scopes and I have a letter from Olympus that they do not recommend using the Steris to clean their scopes. We are checking into a machine that uses Cidex OPA instead of the paracetic acid. I have talked to several people that use this machine and they love it. They say it has cut down tremendously on scope repairs. One of the machines is called a Custom Ultrasonic, another one is by Johnson & Johnson. The Cidex is used for 14 days and has a wash cycle and 5 rinses. It takes about the same amount of time as Steris and has 2 to 4 bays to clean 2 to 4 scopes as once. I hope this helps and answers your questions.
Bj

[Kyli]

Hello,
I'm new here too!
My unit also uses Steris and does 20-30 procedures a day, and yes, our machines are always playing up!!
We use Olympus scopes too, and can confirm that Olympus believe Steris to be very aggressive on the scopes.
Olympus are / have designed a new cleaning machine apparently, that still uses parecetic acid (I think), but doesn't heat to such a high temp as the Steris Machines. However, the equipment comes out as "High Level Disinfection"not "Sterile". You would need to check with Olympus to get more accurate info (I'm on Maternity Leave at the moment, so feel a bit out of touch!!).

[Kyli]

I forgot to say that we use 3 machines too.

[cecumseeker]

We do up to 20/22 scopes a day. First of all, STERIS is a brand items used in healthcare. The machine used to sterilize scopes with sterilant is called Steris System1. We have 5 Steris System1 machines in our unit. Normal wear and tear will cause them to mess up. You should suck any remaining water out of the machines at the end of the day and then wipe the inside and outside with 70% alcohol. Make sure the filters are changed regularly. We have very little problems with ours but we have had problems just like any machinery you own. Proper care and maintenance is the key to proper functioning. Add up the cost of repair over the last year. If the total is extreme, you may want to consider purchasing a new machine which wouldn't be a bad idea anyway considering the amount of cases you do. Carrying contaminated scopes through the hall is unacceptable. Dirty items should be enclosed in a cart of some sort for transportation. This could get your facility fined or dinged by OSHA or JCAHO.

[cecumseeker]

In regards to High Level Disinfectant vs Sterile Scope, you should ask youself which you would want used on you or your family. I choose sterile. Scope wear and tear is just going to have to be acceptable. You shouldn't short change patient safety/health, especially with today's blood/body fluid born pathogens.