Bacterial bioburden of duodenoscope elevator mechanism in different reprocessing stages.

Over the past decade, infections linked to duodenoscopes have become a significant concern, primarily due to the intricate design of the elevator mechanism. Currently, there is limited evidence regarding the bacterial contamination level of the elevator mechanism after clinical use and throughout its various reprocessing stages. This study utilized the swab culture technique to examine the bacterial contamination on the duodenoscope elevator mechanism after clinical use and after 3 reprocessing stages at a Center of tertiary hospital. Our findings revealed severe bacterial contamination after clinical usage, emphasizing that the effectiveness of manual cleaning greatly influences the subsequent high-level disinfection quality. • Recent reports about endoscopy-related infections have spotlighted the elevator mechanism at the distal end of the duodenoscope as a critical reservoir for pathogenic microorganisms. • Our investigation showed that after clinical utilization of duodenoscope, the peak bacterial contamination observed for the elevator and recess were 5.95 × 10⁸ cfu/piece and 9.15 × 10⁸ cfu/piece respectively. • Our findings revealed sever bacterial contamination after clinical usage, emphasizing that the effectiveness of manual cleaning greatly influences the subsequent high-level disinfection quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]