Microbiological surveillance result of endoscopes after INTERCEPT Foam Spray: a quasi-experimental pilot study in Singapore.

Background/aims: This study aimed to assess the impact of INTERCEPT Foam Spray (IFS) application on delayed endoscope reprocessing through microbiological surveillance culture (MSC).

Methods: A quasi-experimental, matched-comparison pilot study was conducted using gastrointestinal endoscopy. IFS was applied to the endoscopes after precleaning and before reprocessing the next day. An equal number of endoscopes, matched by endoscope type, were subjected to routine reprocessing. The MSC were subjected to high-level disinfection to detect any contamination. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher exact test (categorical data) and Student t-test (continuous data).

Results: In total, 150 MSCs were collected from 42 endoscopes. Positive MSCs were observed in 4.0% (4/75) of the sprayed group and 1.3% (1/75) of the control group (95% confidence interval [CI], 30.34-0.31; p>0.05), all of which were contributed by colonoscopes. Colonoscope were more prone to positive MSC (mean difference in percentage, p<0.05). Mean spraying hours were not associated with detected growth (11.7% vs. 13.6; 95% CI, 1.43 to -5.27; p>0.05), with environmental and skin flora being the primary contaminants.

Conclusions: IFS may be applied when delayed endoscope processing is necessary, but with caution when applied to colonoscopes. However, further research is warranted to verify the result.