Effective High-Level Disinfection of Cystoscopes: Is Perfusion of Channels Required?

Abstract

In the United States, more than 4 million cystoscopies are performed each year. Cystoscopy is a diagnostic procedure that uses an endoscope specially designed to examine the bladder, lower urinary tract, and prostate gland or is used to collect urine samples, perform biopsies, or remove small stones. A flexible or rigid scope can be used to carry out the procedure. Because the procedure involves a medical device in contact with the patient’s mucous membranes, it is considered a semicritical device that must, at a minimum, undergo highlevel disinfection. Failure to properly high-level disinfect or sterilize equipment can lead to transmission of infection