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5-2. CARE AND MAINTENANCE TIPS
Flexible endoscopes have been an invaluable tool in the medical community’s armamentarium to successfully di-
agnose and treat a wide variety of illnesses in patients for several decades. Perhaps due to their longevity and pro-
gressive design changes over the years which have simplified their use, flexible endoscopes have been somewhat
taken for granted and have erroneously not been considered highly technological medical devices.
In fact, current generation flexible endoscopes although easier to clinically use, are much more sophisticated than
ever. Special reprocessing instructions must be followed to ensure the instruments are patient ready and patient
safe. Special care and handling must be exercised and practiced to prevent instrument malfunction and prolong the
reliability of the endoscope.
The burden of responsibility to ensure safe and reliably functioning instruments is left in the hands of the health-
care professionals who actually care for and reprocess flexible endoscopes.
Naturally, equipment manufacturers share in this responsibility and tremendous efforts have been made in design-
ing instruments which could be reprocessed and maintained as easy as possible. However, due to the nature of
their use and application, flexible endoscopes must be subjected to special cleaning procedures, followed by a dis-
infection or sterilization process after each and every patient use.
To highlight and simplify, what may appear to some as being complicated maintenance and reprocessing instruc-
tions, PENTAX strongly recommends the users review the following suggestions and advice on the care and main-
tenance of your PENTAX flexible endoscopes.
These tips, particularly those involving scope reprocessing should not be construed as “shortcuts” and are not in-
tended as substitute directions for complete instructions found elsewhere in the owner’s manual.
** When utilizing chemo-thermal processes for reprocessing PENTAX endoscopes, the instruments should be
allowed to return to room temperature prior to use and/or further handling.
** Make sure that the air/water/instrument channel cleaning adapter is securely attached to the top of the air/water
and suction valve cylinders.
** Avoid soaking of the endoscope with accessories (forceps, injection or aspiration needles, etc.) or any sharp
edged objects which could inadvertently scratch or cut the distal bending section sheath. (Subsequent flexing
back and forth of the rubber sheath could eventually stretch the scratched rubber until a pinhole and leak de-
velops.)
** Exposure to a compatible enzymatic detergent is essential to thorough cleaning of all surfaces of the endo-
scope. Rinsing and drying after cleaning is imperative to prevent dilution and/or adulteration of the disinfect-
ant/sterilant.
** Do not reuse disposable endoscope accessory instruments (EAIs) or scope component intended for single pa-
tient or one time use.
** Do not expose the endoscope or endoscope accessory instruments (EAIs) or scope component to harsh chem-
ical solutions. Strictly adhere to exposure times recommended by the manufacturers of compatible solutions.
** Not all manufacturers of automated endoscope reprocessors (AERs) make specific claims nor provide special
instructions for reprocessing all of the removable scope components that are integral to the safe and effective
operation of flexible endoscopes. Therefore, should the AER manufacturer’s instructions not specifcally ad-
dress reprocessing of any particular scope component (air/water valve, suction valve, inlet seal, etc.) in the
AER, then those components must be reprocessed manually as descrived in PENTAX instructions/labeling.
Prior to use, check with each AER manufacturer as to their specific claims with respect to reprocessing indi-
vidual endoscope components.
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