LAUSR

1,2 The beneficial role of GI endoscopy for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of many digestive diseases and cancer iswell established. Likemany sophisticatedmedical devices, the endoscope is a complex, reusable instrument that requires meticulous cleaning and reprocessing in strict accordance with manufacturer and professional organization guidance before being used on subsequent patients. To date, published episodes of pathogen transmission related to GI endoscopy using standard end-viewing instruments have been associated with failure to follow established cleaning and disinfection/sterilization guidelines or use of defective equipment. Recent reports pertaining to transmission among patients undergoing specialized procedures using side-viewing duodenoscopes with distal tip elevators have raised questions about the best methods for the cleaning and disinfection or sterilization of these devices between patient uses. In 2003 the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America collaborated with multiple physician and nursing organizations, infection prevention and control organizations, federal and state agencies, and industry leaders to develop evidence-based guidelines